Fallen Hero
by ajsqdaway
Summary: One of the Project staff is killed defending Ziggy from an infiltrator, and Sam begins a race in time to stop the destruction of his Project.
1. Default Chapter

The Virtual Seasons of Quantum Leap keeps the series going as it if were never   
cancelled. This story was conceived to include the death of regular cast member,   
Dennis Wolfberg (Gooshie). All stories following this one will continue this   
storyline, and in the future, introduce new characters as well. I can only   
publish on Fanfiction.net those stories that I have written or co-written. For   
more stories in this universe, and where some of the new characters are   
introduced, go to the Virtual Seasons Archives at:   
  
http://www.geocities.com/pvt_quantumleap  
  
FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
"Dr. Samuel Beckett is an annoying complication. He needs to be dealt with.   
Permanently." The metallic voice echoed around the two figures, together in a silvery chamber. The walls of the room they occupied glowed crimson as they reflected the fiery red light flickering around them.  
  
"Look what happened the last time we tangled in Dr. Beckett's timeline," one of them wheezed quietly.  
  
"What do you suggest?" The other asked, more boldly than he should.  
  
"SILENCE!" The wrath of the voice instantly stilled their tongues. "I will handle this. You will follow my direct orders. I will stop him at the source."  
  
"At the source?" The wheezing voice actually perked up a bit as the intriguing idea settled about her.  
  
"What does that mean, exactly? What can you do? You're stuck here." The other questioned, not allowing any ideas to penetrate his mind.  
  
"You can put me where I can cause the most damage."   
  
The wheezing broke up into a choking laugh, seeing the vision.  
  
Still uninspired, the other inquired, "And where would that would be?"  
  
"From inside their precious Project. Never send a human to do a computer's job."  
  
While the first fought to control her rickety laughter, the other's lips curled to a snarling smile with the thought.  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
May 28, 1977  
Outside Reston, Virginia  
  
  
A blue hue engulfed and took him on a roller coaster ride; twisting, turning, rushing him to his next point in Time without stopping for a breather. It plopped him back into another life rather quickly and his senses were disoriented for more than a few seconds. He blinked, trying to gather his wits about him, and was finally able to gather himself together and focus on his surroundings.   
  
The gentle rumbling noises around him became clear and he felt the sensation of being gently rocked and bounced. Realizing that he was in a truck, a big truck,   
Dr. Sam Beckett looked out the window to his right that framed beautiful countryside rolling past. Between the noise, motion and pleasing view, he was lulled into a sense on calm and allowed himself to relax. A glance to his left introduced a middle-aged man, the driver, whom Sam noted was experiencing the same calming effect. The driver's eyes were slowly closing and his chin drifting downward towards his chest. Alarmed, but not wanting to scare the man, Sam cleared his throat noisily and the man jerked his head up and began to blink rapidly.  
  
The driver glanced at Sam and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry boss. Kentucky's a long way away. I'm sure those horses are just as tired."  
  
'Horses?' Sam wondered to himself as he looked down and discovered a clipboard lying on his lap. He leafed through the pages, reading elegant names of probably elegant horses. He bit the inside of his lip. 'I hope that I'm not a jockey.'  
  
Sam returned his attention to the view outside the window, trying to recapture the calm. The picturesque green pastures and their chalky white fences rekindled a memory and made Sam long for home. He so wanted to be back in Indiana, back on the farm and with his family.  
  
The truck downshifted and slowed down bringing Sam out of his reverie.   
They turned in a paved driveway and passed under a carved, wooden arch that read: Kingswood Farms. Sam glanced back down at the paperwork on the clipboard and noted the same name on the letterhead. Yep, this is the place. Wait a minute. Did he call me boss? Am I the boss? Sam leafed through the papers once more. I must be Jim Kidd - the owner. Wow!  
  
The winding driveway was awe-inspiring. It was lined with ancient oaks on two sides, their tops curving and touching overhead creating a panoramic arch.   
It was so peaceful and felt so much like home that Sam became nervous; he had learned from too many other leaps that nothing is as it first seems.  
  
The truck stopped in front of one of the several barns within Sam's view, and the driver hopped out of the cab with a grunt. Sam slowly lowered himself as well, surprised to see several smiling faces coming toward them as he stepped out and away from the vehicle. He noticed some of the faces get a puzzled expression, so he stopped.   
  
The familiar whoosh of the Imaging Chamber door divided Sam's attention between addressing the strangers before him and his best friend and Observer.  
  
"Hey, Sam, how's it going?" Al asked casually as he stepped out from the doorway, allowing it shut behind him. "Pretty nice place, huh?"  
  
Sam rubbed his nose and looked down to cover his mouth as he spoke. "They're looking at me funny, Al." Sam held up the clipboard that he had in his hand and said to the people gathered before him, "I'll just take these inside," and turned his back to them. "Where do I go?" he asked quietly.  
  
Al frowned at Sam a moment, not quite understanding his dilemma, then brightened. "Oh! Yeah! Sorry, Sam. Into that house over there." The hologram motioned to an elegant Victorian house at the end of the circular drive, approximately thirty yards from where they had parked. "Oh, and Sam, you'd better start limping. That's probably why they're lookin' at you funny. You need to favor your right leg."  
  
Sam paused at the suggestion, and the driver's voice sounded, "I'll unload the horses, OK, boss?"  
  
"Yeah, fine, go ahead," Sam replied with a wave, then carefully began to limp as instructed. He ducked his head so that he could talk to the hologram. "Al! I can't do horses! I was raised with cows!"   
  
Al raised his eyebrows. "Would you relax? You don't have to 'do horses'. You were injured awhile back, I mean Jim, was injured awhile back."  
  
Sam gave Al a curious sideways glance. "Jim, that's me?"  
  
Al brought the hand link up his face and read its small screen. "Right, Jim Kidd. You're fifty-two years old and you own Kingswood Farms -- over two hundred fifty prime acres in the middle of Virginia horse country. He's loaded to the gills."  
  
As Al was describing the Visitor to the Waiting Room, Sam was admiring the land, the house and all of its natural beauty. Upon reaching the house, Sam hesitated and peered into the glass windows flanking the front doors and saw his reflection. Jim Kidd was a healthy man who obviously spent a lot of time outdoors. His skin was lined and tan, his hair trimmed in silver. It was a kind face. Sam grabbed the doorknob, then hesitated as a thought crossed his mind.  
  
Al frowned at his friend's hesitation, and looked around, wondering what had spooked him. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Well, you know, I just don't want any surprises," Sam said hesitantly.  
  
"Sam, just open the door, will ya?"  
  
"Holograms first?" Sam motioned with his hand.  
  
Al chuckled and shook his head. "Sure, boss." He walked through the wall, and Sam heard his voice from the other side of the door. "No surprises here, Sam. What were you expecting? The Nightstalker?"  
  
Sam let out the breath that he hadn't known he had been holding. "No, a wife, perhaps. Like I said, I don't want any surprises." He opened the door and stepped inside. "What a place!" Sam exclaimed.   
  
There were trophies and horse paintings lining the walls and comfortable leather furniture and stylish art everywhere. This guy was obviously good at what he did. Sam closed the door softly behind him and continued to admire the house.  
  
Al looked around. "Don't fret, he's a widower. Nice, huh? It's nothing like the ranch that Beth wanted us to buy, though. Now that place..."  
  
"It probably had a lot of bedrooms in it, right?" Sam interjected, then held up his hand in a stop motion. "Never mind, don't answer that."  
  
Al ignored the request. "It would have to Sam, I have four children and I know that I'm going to have grandchildren by the tons. Don't you remember?"  
  
Sam sighed. "No, I don't. But thanks for reminding me again about my   
Swiss-cheesed brain. So. What does Ziggy have on this guy? Does she know why I'm here?"  
  
Al hesitated then lifting an eyebrow in his friend's direction, replied, "Sorry, Sam, not much in that field. All we have right now is a little information on Jim and his gang out there, who are all probably still wondering about you."  
  
Sam walked up the broad, curved staircase to the landing on the second floor. Large windows framed the landing, taking advantage of the view. A hallway lined with doors lead off one side. Sam peeked in the first door and discovered an office that overlooked the barns. Drawn to the window behind the massive oak desk, he looked out over a pastoral scene.  
  
Al had followed Sam up the staircase continuing his narration of information. "Ziggy has basic info on the farm, how well it's doing at this time, things like that. From what we could tell, everything works out pretty well for this guy and the employees we could dig up." Al meandered over to the window to see what Sam was looking at. "Nice view."  
  
"I kept the truck driver from falling asleep at the wheel earlier. If that's why I'm here, then why haven't I leaped?"  
  
"I don't know. There wasn't an accident in the original history, either."  
  
From their viewpoint, they could see most of the farm; the horse van was off to the right, more white fencing cris-crossed the land, and green pastures were dotted with horses grazing in every direction they looked. To the left was an arena with a couple of people riding and jumping brightly painted fences.   
  
"But what we do know is it's May 28, 1977, and you are in rural Virginia." Al concluded, slipping the hand link in his pocket with one hand and withdrawing a fresh cigar with the other.  
  
Sam was drawn to the riders in the arena. He grabbed a pair of binoculars on the windowsill, and looked more closely at them. From this distance, even with the binoculars, he couldn't tell if they were men or women because of the baggy clothes and helmets. As he watched, one of them stopped their flashy bay in the center of the arena and dismounted. The rider ran a hand down a front leg, carefully probing then picked up the horse's leg and looked at its hoof. The rider then dropped the hoof, straightened, and pulled off the helmet, releasing shoulder length blonde hair. She shook her head as she tucked the helmet under her arm, then gathered the reins in her hand as she lead the horse to the arena gate.  
  
Peeking over his friend's shoulder Al saw what had his attention. "Hey, she looks sort of cute, Sam, but I bet she smells like horse sweat. Not that that's a bad thing, but, any excuse to use the shower first..." Al stopped as Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well, you obviously have other things on your mind, so I'll just go talk to our Visitor." The Observer called up the Imaging Chamber door and stepped through. "Just try to stay out of trouble, will ya?"  
  
Sam tilted his head to look at Al. "You know I'll try."  
  
"On the other hand," Al's eyebrows wiggled up and down with a mischievous smile on his face, and he left the statement dangling as he shut the Imaging Chamber door.   
  
Sam shook his head with a sigh then continued to look at the young lady.   
She seemed familiar for some reason, but was still too far off for identification, if his Swiss-cheese memory would even allow it. Something about the way that she walked, or the way that she turned her head; he couldn't quite pin it down. His gut instinct was telling him that she was important in some way to this leap, and curiosity urged him to find out who she was. Sam put down the binoculars, then trotted out of the office and down the stairs two at a time. He slid to a stop at the front door.  
  
He knew that she had to pass in front of doors to take the horse to the barn, so he calmed himself down with a deep breath then casually opened the door. He glanced to the left and saw her walking on the horse's left side, one arm resting on the animal's crest as the other held the helmet and reins. The gracefully curved animal's neck blocked his view of her face. Only when the alert ears of the horse pricked up in his direction and the chiseled head turned in his direction was able to glance at her face.  
  
Sam felt his heart race at her familiarity. He knew her; and when her eyes turned in his direction, he sucked in a breath of shock as his heart leaped.   
  
First she jumped slightly, then smiled broadly. "Oh! Good afternoon, Mr. Kidd. You startled me!"  
  
Sam froze, unhearing and in total shock as his eyes fell on her face. "It's impossible," he murmured in a barely audible tone as pictures of past events flashed through his mind. A prison; a shotgun; a dark-haired man with sad eyes; a college library; a loud-mouthed punk in a letterman's jacket .. and a cape? He dared not move lest he break the chain of memories.  
  
"Mr. Kidd?" The woman said, her forehead wrinkled with worry when he didn't respond. She took a step toward him, the horse shadowing her. "Are you OK?"  
  
'She's calling me Mr. Kidd.' Sam's mind finally registered. 'She doesn't have any idea of who I am!' Sam replied shakily, "What? Oh! I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?" She didn't look convinced, but her step slowed.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sure." The urge to run away overcame him and suddenly Sam's feet began to move. "I...uh...forgot something." He bolted back into the house, carefully shutting the door and leaning on it, his head on his arms. His heart was pounding furiously. "Oh my God. That was Alia!" he breathed out loud.  
  
Sam gathered himself together, and stepped to the window next to the door.   
Peering through the diaphanous curtains, he watched Alia lead the horse to the barn. She glanced back at the house several times as she walked. Sam let the curtains fall back into place, feeling self-conscience about staring at her.   
Thoughts began tumbling wildly through his mind. 'OK, she didn't recognize me.   
Or would she? Why do I see her? What is she doing here? I thought she was safe somewhere!'   
  
Sam peeked back out the window only to see her talking happily to one of the barn hands as they finished unloading the horses. He saw her hand off the reins to one of the men and toss the helmet next to the barn. Then, she turned in the direction of the house. Alarmed, he saw her jogging back to the house. "Ah, jeeze, she's coming back!" he groaned.   
  
Sam panicked; he couldn't allow Alia touch him until he figured out why he was here. He didn't know if she would see him as Sam on contact or not, but he couldn't take the chance. Not yet. He took the stairs two at a time, and raced into the office, slamming the door. He quickly located the personnel files.   
  
He heard a knock on the door downstairs, followed by a squeak as it was pushed open. "Mr. Kidd?" Alia's familiar voice called out.  
  
Hesitating for a second, Sam yelled in reply, "Come in!" He skimmed the personnel files as quickly as he could. Her file had to be here somewhere.   
"Campbell, Barry; Davis, Andy," he read the names in an urgent whisper.  
  
"Mr. Kidd?" There were muffled footsteps as she climbed the stairs.  
  
"Yeah, up here." He finally came to the name. Novack, Alia. That had to be her! Sam heard footfalls on the landing and slammed the file cabinet shut, quickly settling himself behind the huge desk. He shuffled a few papers busily as he casually called out, "In my office!" and tried to catch his breath.  
  
The door cracked opened and Alia poked her head inside. "I'm sorry to intrude, sir, but are you sure that you're feeling okay? You look... different."  
  
"Hi, uh, Alia. Yeah, I'm fine. I think that I'm just tired from the trip." Sam made a mental note to try to keep objects between them -- big objects. The desk was a good start.  
  
Alia approached the desk, concern etching her face. "I know how these buying trips wear you out, sir. You should take it easier. I've told you before that I'd be glad to help."  
  
"No, I mean, yeah. That may be a good idea. Next time, maybe."   
  
Alia started around the desk toward the window, then suddenly turned back to Sam and stepped towards him. Sam bolted to his feet, keeping the chair between them, and covered his action by pretending to retrieve something from the filing cabinet.  
  
"You know, Mr. Kidd, I've wanted to thank you for..." She stopped only for a moment when he popped up so quickly. "For letting me come to work for you. I must say that personally, I feel like you were the father that I never had."  
  
"Well, Alia, I'm glad that you feel that way." Sam's smile was genuine, pleased at the thought of her happiness. She deserved that.   
  
"Things used to be so... so hectic in my life before I came here. I used to feel so unsure about myself." Alia seemed to be lost in thought for a moment as she backed away from Sam and circled around to the front of the desk. "But now, I feel so... at peace. The horses were just the things I needed. I haven't been this happy in a long time." He eyes glowed softly as she spoke, and Sam thought about what she had said.   
  
She looked relaxed, happy and healthy, and his sense of accomplishment made him puff up his chest a bit. Unexpectedly, a feeling of envy washed over him, but he quickly pushed it aside. "I'm glad, Alia," he replied honestly. "We're happy that you're here." She was moving towards him again, so, trying to act casual, he turned his back on her and walked to the other side of the chair, again using it as a barrier.  
  
"We?" Alia asked, pausing by the file cabinet. "Are you talking about Mrs. Kidd, before she died?"  
  
Sam felt like they were playing a game of tag. "Mrs. Kidd? Ah, no. I was referring to, you know, Andy and, ahm, Barry, and the other workers." Sam quickly blessed his photographic memory.  
  
"Oh." Alia looked confused for a moment, then smiled. "Well, I was worried about you. You've taken good care of me and it's time I returned the favor. Now, will you quit dodging me and let me feel your forehead?" She took a step towards the chair.  
  
"My forehead? It's fine, really. I'm OK. But, uh, maybe they need help with those new horses? Will you check on them for me? I didn't get a chance."   
Sam put on his best smile and tried to stay in control of the situation by snatching up the clipboard at thrusting it towards her. "I'd really appreciate it."  
  
Alia sighed and grinned, taking the board in defeat. "Alright. I will, but you have to promise me that you'll lie down for a few minutes."  
  
"Promise."  
  
Alia tapped the clipboard with her fingers, and headed out the door. She hesitated in the hall, glanced back at him with a brilliant smile, then disappeared down the hall.  
  
Sam had given her a small wave then he collapsed into the chair when she stepped out of sight. He exhaled loudly when he heard the front door slam. "Oh, boy!" 


	2. Fallen Hero Chapter 2

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Project Quantum Leap  
March 1, 2000  
  
As the quantum phasing dissipated, the Leaper looked around to find that he was in a rather large room, surrounded by people in white lab coats. He huffed and snarled quietly at them as he glanced down at the clipboard in his hands.   
  
'Little, white lab rats,' he thought, instantly disliking them. He closed his eyes to try and think about why he was here. It was something important, he felt. In front of him stood a very colorful console and he curled up one corner of his lip in a wicked smile. 'It has something to do with this console. Something beautifully evil.'   
  
As he sought to remember the plan, he heard a familiar sound, the sound of a metallic swirl of a door opening. The feeling crossed his mind that he wasn't supposed to be on this side of that door, and he frowned.  
  
A redheaded woman in a wheelchair emerged from the diffused red light of the doorway. She was slumped over as if she were very tired, or in pain, or both. Her pale face held a scowl aimed at him. "Thames," was all she breathed, the name filled with disdain. Laboriously she moved the little toggle under her hand and maneuvered the wheeled device through the doorway into his time and place.  
  
"Zoey." Thames remembered her even if he couldn't remember exactly what he was supposed to accomplish here. She was too much of a thrilling irritant not to remember her.  
  
Zoey, however, was too involved with her own thoughts to even respond to Thames. A trip to this Project, even a holographic one, dredged up unwanted memories.   
  
'Thanks to Admiral Calavicci, I'm trapped in this damnable chair. He had the audacity to shoot me in the back. What kind of person would do that?' She scowled even at her own thoughts. 'A person after my own heart, that's who. He's definitely not like the righteous Dr. Beckett.' Zoey had barely cleared the door when her body was rocked by a violent coughing fit; she was barely able to get enough air into her lungs for a moment. Finally, she got control of her failing body, but she continued to wheeze while she looked at Thames standing there looking like a nurse. 'God, I hate that color. Look at him standing there, looking almighty and forgetting that I know what it feels like to be in his shoes.' "What are you...you...looking at?" Zoey's sharp words were still labored as she regained strength from her coughing fit.  
  
Thames turned his head and stifled a smile. There was something about seeing Zoey helpless in the wheelchair that trilled him. She had been so stuck up on herself, but now... "You tell me, Zoey, baby. What do you want me to look at?" he replied as he looked her up and down, chuckling. He knew just how to egg her on and engage her fiery spirit and loved her for it; even knowing she was considered precious cargo to Lothos.  
  
"Oh...shut up," She groaned again and coughed, "you imbecile. You can't even remember why you're here, let alone remember what it's like to hold anyone," she snapped with the intention of shutting him up.  
  
Thames wouldn't let that happen. He lived to counter her at every possible opportunity. "Better than never being able to hold anyone again," he taunted with a grin.  
  
Zoey's eyes slowly raised, her head following, the disdain on her face clear as she glared at him. She moved the wheelchair closer and growled slowly, "Careful, Thames, you're on the wrong end of this mission. You could be easily cut out of the picture with a tap of my finger." She pantomimed the movement that would cut the transmission and leave him caught in limbo forever.  
  
Thames glared back in return knowing full well that it wasn't a hollow threat. He had to give her credit; even wheelchair bound, she still wouldn't back down from a fight. She always followed through.   
  
Thames finally looked around at the other lab technicians near him. The ambient noise level was high enough to cover his chat with the hologram. He wasn't worried about being caught with his hands in the cookie jar, so to speak; he was more worried about Time. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" Thames bent down, focusing on the colorful console in front of him.   
  
The Observer eyed the room with loathing. "So, this is the ever impressive Ziggy, is it? She doesn't look that intelligent to me," Zoey snarled as she put her hand to her chest. The constant pain dogging her there was becoming harder to disguise, and the automatic curse leveled at Calavicci crossed her thoughts.  
  
Thames smiled at her comment. "Zoey, honey, if she were that intelligent she would have known we were here already." Thames slid an orange panel off, laid it on the floor, and studied the intense circuitry inside the panel.  
  
"Did you stop to think that she may know, but hasn't told anyone, you idiot? You can never tell, Thames, especially anything involved with that goody-two-shoes Dr. Beckett. Integrate Lothos quickly before she rats us out."   
  
Zoey watched as Thames looked inside the console. "What is it? Finish the job, you moron! Quickly! Can't you remember what to do?"  
  
Thames reached into the guts of Ziggy as Zoey talked and isolated the green and yellow wires she was referring to. 'Damn! I hate the scrambled eggs memory of mine.' Thames glared at her. "As if you didn't blank out on your first mission."  
  
Zoey tried to speak again, but her voice caught again in another coughing spell. 'Damn him. Damn both of them. This is entirely their fault and if Thames doesn't hurry and finish the job, they'll have the upper hand again. The only good that came from being shot and put in this, this thing, was getting the time to get back at both of them. All of those endless nights pouring over schematics, reading boring and endless crap about Project Quantum Leap and its funding, and to finally find the Project itself, have finally paid off. They'll be gone for good.' The joyous thought of revenge lightened her dark mood. "All right dear, do I need to tell you which wires to splice together for Lothos?" Zoey oozed back at him.  
  
Thames rolled his eyes toward her as his mouth twitched with anger.   
  
"Not necessary now. Trust me," he said as he pulled out a pair of wire cutters from the lab technician's coat pocket. Hoisting the tool, he clacked the ends together in the air, making a threatening clicking noise.  
  
"I don't trust anyone, Thames, you ought to know that by now."   
  
"Suit yourself," Thames said as he cut the appropriate wires.  
  
"Hurry up!"   
  
"Patience, gorgeous," he teased as he carefully re-routed the wire bundles.  
  
Irritated at his remark, Zoey couldn't tell if he was just teasing with her or trying to irritate her. Whatever the case, it drove her absolutely nuts, and she clenched her jaw to the point where her teeth squeaked.  
  
"There." Thames said as he stood and brushed off his pants.  
  
"About time," she sneered in reply.  
  
"Please, Zoey, you know I'm the expert with electronics here."  
  
"How could I ever forget?"  
  
"Because I won't let you."   
  
Zoey glared at him knowing what he said was true, but she did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it was constantly on her mind.   
Suddenly, the red hand link on Zoey's lap squawked loudly. She looked down at it and an evil smile crossed her lips as she read the words. She raised her head and said to Thames. "Lothos is in."  
  
Thames mirrored the horrid smile. "Good. A little reprogramming here and there and..." He sighed with satisfaction and crossed his arms across his chest. "It's the beginning of the end of their interference."  
  
************  
  
After a shower and a decent meal, Al walked down the corridors of the   
Project toward the Control Room. It had been an hour since he had seen Sam, and he knew Ziggy should have at a little more information than before. He retrieved the hand link from the control console, and acknowledged Gooshie squatting down beside it. "How's it going, Goosh?"  
  
Gooshie looked up at the Admiral with the bewildered look that Al had come to recognize as the programmer's thinking mode. He had been totally mesmerized by the contents behind one of the console's panels. "Ahm, everything is ah...OK, sir." He frowned and looked back at the wireworks, murmuring to himself as he shook his head.  
  
"Anything wrong?" Al asked noting the look.   
  
"I don't think so. I'm just double-checking behind some panels today.   
Routine."  
  
Al nodded. "Fire up the IC. I need to give Sam the latest news."  
  
"Yes, sir." Gooshie stood and his hands began to fly over the console to bring the Imaging Chamber online.  
  
Al was part way to the Imaging Chamber when the lights dimmed briefly. He stopped, and frowned. That wasn't routine. He glanced back and saw Gooshie still at the console, apparently unaware of any problem.   
  
"Hmmm," Al thought as he made a mental note about it. He continued up the ramp, entered the Imaging Chamber and let the door shut behind him.   
  
Stepping on the launch sequence pad in the center of the room, he stood for a moment, wondering when Gooshie was going to start the program. "Gooshie, come on." He said impatiently, addressing the ceiling.  
  
The twirling, nauseating whirlwind of images came up a moment later, centering him on Sam. Al could see him through the swirling colors, leaning against a barn, his back to him. Beyond him, horses were grazing in a pasture.   
  
The cacophony of images suddenly stopped, and Al couldn't help but grunt in surprise when a knife-like pain suddenly struck his gut. He couldn't help but double over, but forced himself to straighten up before Sam saw him.   
  
Hearing a noise, Sam spun around, spotting the shaky Al. Al returned the look with a weak grin, his alarm coming through even though he tried to hide it. "Hey, Sam."  
  
"Al? What's wrong?" Sam moved closer to his friend, frustrated that he couldn't help.  
  
Al shook his head trying to ward off the pain. "I'll be fine," he tried to assure Sam, but knew that after what he had just felt, he would have a hard time convincing himself.   
  
"Are you OK? What's going on?"  
  
He took a deep breath as the pain began to ebb from the center of his stomach. The breath made Al wince, and his face turned a shade of green. The pain was replaced with severe nausea. "God, Sam. I don't know what happened."  
  
"Your phase looks out of whack. Ziggy should be fixing that!"  
  
Al looked up at the ceiling and realized Sam was right. Ziggy hadn't uttered a peep. In addition, Sam was blinking in and out of sight, which did nothing to quell the nausea.   
  
"Why isn't she doing something about it? It'll make you sick!"  
  
"Already is, if you haven't noticed." Al doubled over, grunting in pain failing in his effort to appear all right.  
  
"Admiiiiirrrrrraaaallll?" Ziggy purred quietly from all around him.  
  
"Ziggy, what the hell is going on?" Al groaned.  
  
"Something's not right here. This.... isn't right." Sam began to pace in front of the erratic hologram. He stopped in hopes to overhear Al's conversation with Ziggy, knowing full well that it was futile. Al had to relay.  
  
"There's a..." Ziggy paused a moment before answering as if she were picking out the correct term that she should use. "The Imaging Chamber is is   
is is..." Ziggy's voice slowly dropped off, sounding to Al like Alice going down   
the rabbit hole.  
  
"Is what? Come on, you pile of useless bolts!"   
  
"What 'is what'?" Sam echoed, feeling completely helpless. "Al! What did she say? Gooshie!" He tried to grab his friend as Al fell to his knees with a cry of agony. Suddenly, Sam simply and completely blinked out of Al's sight, leaving him alone the Imaging Chamber. As soon as the Imaging Chamber blinked off, Al fell to the floor unconscious.   
  
"Admiral?" Gooshie squeaked as he watched the relay shut itself off. He instantly began to check the console in confusion. He looked up as Tina and Dr. Beeks came in the room, Tina's heels clicking noisily. "Admiral?" he called again, his voice tinged with alarm.  
  
"What's going on?" Tina asked as she smacked her gum enthusiastically.  
  
"There was a surge of energy in the IC." He explained, facing the ceiling.   
  
"Admiral? Can you hear me?" His hands flew over the console. "Tina, we need to get that door open. Now."  
  
Verbina Beeks immediately stationed herself by the Imaging Chamber door, impatiently waiting for it to open. "A surge? Isn't Ziggy supposed to keep that from happening?" she asked as she pushed futilely on the door, worried about Al's welfare.   
  
"She is." Tina studied the console and noted the crazy readings on display. "What the...?" She asked.   
  
"Ziggy! Open the door!" Gooshie yelled.  
  
"Looks like Ziggy's on the rag now," Tina said as the readings slid crazily up and down, not making any sense at all.   
  
"Admiral?" Gooshie continued asking as he tried everything he could to open the door with the controls. "On the rag is an understatement." Gooshie muttered to himself, trying to figure out what was wrong with the parallel hybrid computer.  
  
"Wait...I think I know what to do." Tina dropped on her knees, eye level with control console. She removed one of the smaller panels. "Here... take this, you old bitch." She said as she tweaked one of the wires. The Imaging Chamber door slowly slid up.  
  
Verbena ran into the ominously quiet room, going directly to the form on the floor. She gently turned him onto his back and checked his vital signs. Relieved, she found them to be strong. "Al, wake up, hon. Al?" She began to shake him slightly. "Come on, Admiral."  
  
Gooshie and Tina stood together at the foot of the ramp as Beeks tended to Al. Occasionally, they shot worried glances his way, but continued to discuss how this could have occurred.  
  
Al quivered slightly as if he was fighting a twinge of pain, his breathing slightly erratic. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he quickly sat up. The hand link clattered to the floor.  
  
"Whoa, fly-boy, lay back down and calm yourself." Verbena guided him back down and stroked his sweaty brow. "Are you okay?" She watched him carefully knowing that she could read him well. She could tell that he was in obvious pain just from looking into his brown eyes. "Where do you hurt?"  
  
"You tell me, doc." Al said as he took deep breaths and winced.  
  
"Being sarcastic won't help me help you, Al." Verbena said as she sat on her heels.  
  
"OK, then, try 'all over'. What the hell was Ziggy thinking?" he asked with some anger in his tone.  
  
Verbena helped Al to slowly sit up. "Ziggy? There was a surge, Al. I don't think that Ziggy had anything to do with what just happened. Do you, Tina?" She turned to Tina for confirmation when she heard heels click into the Imaging Room.  
  
"I'll say," she breathed. "Either Ziggy has lost it, or something's seriously wrong."   
  
"Tina, honey, you can bet your best pair of high heels that there is definitely something wrong. I just spent the last five minutes in pain, trapped in this damn room! You can't tell me that Ziggy didn't have anything to do with it."  
  
"I'll show you pain, buster. Lay off, OK?" Tina snapped, sure that Ziggy didn't have anything to do with the problem.   
  
Verbena shook her head at the two of them. "Now, Al, Tina, that's no way to act. We need to find out what is going on here and bickering won't help us in the least."  
  
"We'll figure out what happened," Tina commented. "Gooshie has a theory, but he didn't say what it was; just that he needed to check some facts first."   
  
Al grunted, not convinced that Ziggy wasn't involved in the torture.  
  
Verbena was helping Al stand when Beth flew into the Imaging Chamber directly to Al's side. "Oh, my God, Al! Are you all right?" She asked as she drew him into a warm, but worried, embrace.  
  
"Hi, honey." He gave her a weak smile and returned the hug, loving the feeling of her next to him. "I'll be OK."  
  
"What do I need to do, 'Bena? Does he need to get to the infirmary?" she asked, ignoring Al's prognosis.  
  
"I do not need to go to the infirmary, Beth. I just...I just needed a little help in getting on my feet."  
  
Beth pushed him off of her, and faced him, hands on her hips. "You've never needed help in your life, Albert Calavicci. Stop arguing with me." Her stern face gave way to a smile, her relief obvious. "You know that I know you better than anybody else." She stepped forward and lightly kissed his cheek.  
  
Al grinned knowing that she was right. Maybe he did need to lie down for a little while, just to make sure he was fully recovered from the mysterious malaise. 


	3. Fallen Hero Chapter 3

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
May 28, 1977  
Kingswood Farms, Virginia  
  
A red metallic hue passed over Mr. Kidd's handyman as he worked in a barn. Instantly, he was sent to oblivion where he didn't want to be, depositing in his place a tall, slim black man surrounded by the handyman's aura.   
  
Thames immediately wrinkled up his nose in disgust at the heavy smell of manure. Overcome, he ran outside to be sick. Behind him, he heard the throaty laughter of a woman as she wheeled herself from a red rectangle into view. "Thames, you are priceless. Look at you! Farmer Thames!" She began to laugh again, but set off a coughing fit. She pressed her hand flat to her chest to control it and the accompanying pain. Slowly, she took a long breath that was emphasized by wheezing.   
  
"Better to be Farmer Thames than stuck in that chair, Zoey."  
  
Zoey looked up at Thames with animosity and snarled at him, "Get on with it!" She rasped.  
  
Thames huffed as he looked around at his surroundings. "Be glad you can't smell this place, baby." He leaned against the barn door looking at the farm's expanse. "Where the hell am I exactly?"  
  
She replied, "You're in the best place you'll ever be. You're here to kill the good Dr. Beckett." Zoey started to grin, thinking of the plan that she and   
Lothos had concocted, and jealous that Thames got to carry it out. "We need to find where he is. That is, we need to find Mr. Kidd."  
  
Thames smiled at the assignment, and took a deep breath of clean air. "That shouldn't be too hard. You're sure he's leaped into Kidd?"  
  
Zoey slowly moved the wheelchair next to Thames' side. She looked around outside, and spotted a man going toward the corral. She extended her arm and pointed at the man. "Yes. The information came right from precious   
Ziggy's mouth, so Lothos is positive on that one, deary. There."   
  
Thames chuckled lightly. "That's him, huh? I'm not impressed."  
  
"What did you think you'd find, Thames? A young buck, owning a place like this? If only." Zoey's mind slowly slipped away from the moment at hand, a fantasy beginning.  
  
"If only you could get out of your chair and buck that buck?" His voice teased viciously.  
  
"I'll have you know that before Calavicci put me in this chair, that I was the best at...riding anything to the ground."  
  
Thames gave her a wicked, lustful look. "Ooh, kinky."  
  
"He'll regret the day that he hurt me. I will have my revenge." Zoey said maliciously, unhearing.  
  
"We'll have our revenge, love. Remember, patience is a virtue."  
  
She snapped out of her reverie. "Patience is a thorn in my side, Thames. We need action. Action that lets our adoring Admiral realize he will never be able to retrieve his friend. You need to get some firepower. Something adequate to do the ole boy in."   
  
Thames smiled at her tone as he looked across the yard at Dr. Sam Beckett. "Not a problem, baby. Trust me." He smiled widely as he turned back to her.  
  
"I don't trust anyone, especially you, Thames."   
  
"Even you can learn," he tsked, then slowly walked away from the barn toward the house hoping to find the firepower that he needed there. He was sure that Kidd had something in the house. This was a working ranch, after all. They had to have something to put the useless beasts down with.  
  
Zoey shook her head as he walked away. She laid her hand on the link in her lap and quickly popped in beside the Sam. She watched as he climbed to the upper rail of the arena fence to observe the riders putting the horses through their paces. "You'll get yours, Dr. Beckett." Zoey said through a tight, evil grin. "I'll make sure of that, my dear. You'll be dead very soon."  
  
Zoey glanced at the people riding in the arena. Something clicked in her mind and she frowned, looking back at the female rider. There was something familiar there; but that wasn't possible. She watched as the young lady jumped the horse over an obstacle. She seemed ever so graceful, and it struck a sour chord in Zoey when she realized that she would never be able to ride a horse.   
  
She clenched her teeth together in an effort to control her own emotions from bubbling over, then she saw the woman's face.  
  
"Alia." The name was barely audible through her clenched teeth. She fought to control the fury threatening to overcome her and her tenuous breathing, and realized that the tramp hadn't noticed her. Theoretically, she should be able to still see me, Zoey thought as she studied the girl. She looked damnably happy, but never took notice of the wheelchair-bound hologram. "Well," she said finally, licking her dry lips and smiling like a wolf. Trying to control her shaking hands, she concluded, "Isn't this interesting? Now we can kill two birds with one stone!" She looked down at the link lying in her lap and raised one delicate eyebrow as she tapped the link. "Oh, Thames, darling!" she sang as the device took her to him.  
  
March 1, 2000  
Project Quantum Leap  
  
Gooshie put Tina and Sammie Jo in charge of investigating the problems that they were experiencing with Ziggy in the Control Room. They were quite capable of tracking those problems down. Gooshie, however, felt in his gut that something was terribly wrong. He walked down the corridor, his mind working overtime going through previous diagnostics from earlier in the day.   
  
He had even gone into his quarters and pulled out some diagrams of Ziggy's systems so that he could double check what he remembered as he walked.   
Something wasn't tracking right. "No," he said to himself as he flipped a page, and continued down another hall. He put his free hand on the wall panels as he passed, each one matching the diagram in his hand. He went into the first systems room where Ziggy's analytical relays were, and began checking them in sequence.  
  
"Gooshie?" The whisper seemed to emanate from everywhere, and he smiled at the source.  
  
"Yes, Ziggy. Glad to see that your communication relay is back online for the moment."  
  
"Gooshie?" Ziggy repeated softly.  
  
Gooshie frowned as he looked around the technician's station. He didn't like the way Ziggy sounded. "Ziggy?" He listened carefully for a moment, his mind working furiously to figure out what was going on.   
  
"Help me." The sound was even softer than before and he knew that the computer was in trouble. He had never heard Ziggy sound so vulnerable and weak. She had always been strong and determined and very talkative with her Barbara Streisand ego.   
  
"Oh no." Suddenly, something clicked in the programmer's mind and the pieces fell together. Had Ziggy been compromised? Was someone or something trying to infiltrate the Project? That would explain some of the anomalies. He looked back down at the diagrams in his hands and thought of the various systems centers. The only one that had been occupied prior to the first fluctuations had been the main conduits relay room in Section Four. He slapped an intercom and told the Control room where he was going. Setting his jaw, and with a firm grip on the diagrams, he headed toward Section Four.  
  
*************  
  
Tina stood at Ziggy's console, frowning at the information before her.   
"Dr. Fuller, would you look at this, please?"  
  
Sammie Jo walked over to see what Tina was looking at. "What?" She looked at Tina's tapping finger. "That has to be wrong.... that can't be."  
  
Across the room, Beth and Dr. Beeks were helping Al to the corridor.   
  
He was wobbly, but walking with minor assistance. "We're taking the Admiral   
to his quarters," Beth told the scientists.  
  
"I'll be fine, Beth." Al protested.  
  
"You are the most stubborn man, you know that? You must want to take me to an early grave." Beth said as she laid her hand on his chest.  
  
"No, honey, that was my dad," Al grinned.  
  
"Al?" Tina beckoned again. Finally she raised her voice to get his attention. "Admiral Calavicci!"   
  
Al looked at Beth gently then turned quickly to look at Tina. He pushed away from Beth and wobbled to the console. "What is it, Tina? What did you find?"  
  
"I don't know if I found Ziggy's problem or not, but I do know something. There's another leaper somewhere, I think... that's the only time we've seen readings like this."  
  
Al moved around the console and read the graph himself. "Shit!"  
  
Verbena moved closer to the group at the console. "Oh no."  
  
"And there's another problem." Sammie Jo started. "We can't tell if the leaper is here or with Dr. Beckett. We need Ziggy to confirm that."  
  
"That bucket of bolts nearly killed me in there, in case you forgot. Something is screwed up with her."  
  
"It wasn't Ziggy's fault." Tina said hotly. "I think that's what Gooshie was saying"  
  
Verbena intervened. "Well, I could have told you that. Ziggy may be just bolts and hardware, but she has never done anything malicious."  
  
Al glared at Verbena. "Well, she has now. Or at least something is wrong enough with her to cause what just happened in the Imaging Chamber."  
  
"Whatever." Sammie Jo stated. "I'm going to check the automated records from earlier, before Ziggy started freaking out. Maybe there is an outside influence."  
  
"Is that possible Sammie Jo?" Verbena asked, confused. "I mean, we have security measures, how could anyone get in here to sabotage Ziggy in the first place? She would have announced a breech, wouldn't she?"  
  
"I don't like the sound of all this." Al began pacing, upset.  
  
Sammie Jo looked unsure. "I don't know." She said reluctantly. "Go find Gooshie and ask him. He's been backtracking the longest, and would be able to steer us in the right direction." She grabbed a clipboard and went off to another workstation to try and prove her theory from here.  
  
Al glanced at Beth, unsure of what to do. This situation was reeling out of control. He nervously balled his right hand into a fist and used his left hand to pop his knuckles, then switched hands as he paced. He didn't like feeling out of control. "Where did Gooshie disappear to, anyway?" He asked finally.  
  
"I think that he went to Section Four, where the maintenance conduit units are." Tina waved a hand in the direction that he should take.   
  
Beth approached her husband. "Al, honey, you're going to make yourself worse. Please sit down." She watched helplessly as he paced back and forth, then placed a hand on his arm to stop his four-step pace. "Al."   
  
Al acknowledged Tina's information, then looked at Beth with tenderness. He hoped that she understood why he had to push himself. "Keep working on Ziggy from here." He looked away from Beth to the hallway before heading toward Section Four.   
  
Beth turned to Verbena as she laid her hands on Ziggy's console only to shake her head softly. "You know, 'Bena, I think that sometimes he was dropped on his head at birth. Doesn't listen to a word I say."  
  
"I know the feeling." They smiled at each other then headed off in hot pursuit to help in anyway that they could. 


	4. Fallen Hero Chapter 4

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Project Quantum Leap  
Stallion's Gate, New Mexico  
  
The Main Conduit Relay Room looked as if a tornado had struck. Multi-colored panels were scattered on the floor, the cause of which sat by the exposed conduit main grid. Starting at the left side of the grid and working his way to the right, Gooshie had stripped the wall of panels to view the circuitry in its entirety. He and Dr. Beckett had wired this section themselves, and now looking at the end result, he wondered why they hadn't made it more simplistic.  
  
He sat back on his heels absently rubbing his chin as he followed the main conduit with his eyes. The yellow color of the conduit was fairly easy to track as it mingled in with the other colors, but an unfamiliar object interrupted the pattern. He'd found it.   
  
"Son of a bitch!" Clearly, he saw where the conduit had been cut and was now wired to a lighter green outside line. He retrieved the test monitor from his pile of tools to test the line for a power source and prepared to hook up. The sound of people entering the room made him pause and look up as he connected one of the receptors.   
  
"What have you got, Goosh?" Al questioned. He stopped just inside the doorway due to the panels on the floor, backed by Beth and Verbena, when the programmer raised his hand for them to stop. Patiently, they waited for a response. It was difficult for Al to keep from tapping his toe impatiently.  
  
Gooshie hooked up the monitor's second receptor, and was instantly showered with sparks. The wild haired programmer just had enough time to throw up his hands over his face when the monitor exploded beside him. Al jumped back in the hall as Gooshie kicked the monitor to the other side of the room.   
  
"Admiral, someone is accessing Ziggy from outside the Project!" he yelled over the noise. Ziggy's plea for help was still fresh in Gooshie's mind as he reached into the exposed circuitry. He didn't even think about the possible consequences.  
  
"Gooshie, no!" Al hollered as he dove in the room from the hall.  
  
Gooshie grabbed the conduit with both hands and pulled. As the connection broke free, a brilliant flash erupted in the room. The concussion threw Al backward into Beth and Verbena, bowling them all over. They were bruised, but still conscious.  
  
Gooshie wasn't so lucky. He received the full brunt of the blast, and was knocked back with a loud grunt. His body flew across the room and impacted the opposite wall with enough force to leave an impression. His hands were black and smoking, indistinguishable from the burning sleeves of his lab coat. His body slid down the wall and crumpled into a smoldering heap.  
  
Al sat up and shook his head, his ears ringing. He blinked rapidly to clear the stinging smoke from his eyes, and tried to find Gooshie in the haze. The first thing he saw was the black hole where the conduit had been. "My God!" he whispered, then coughed and scanned the room, stopping at the crumpled form on the floor. "No!" He breathed, crawling into the room.  
  
"Admiral? Admiral?" Ziggy's voice floated through the room, strong and clear. "There is another leaper. Someone has leaped to the ranch with Dr. Beckett. I surmise that Dr. Beckett is in extreme danger."  
  
Beth and Verbena stood slowly, still confused from the jolt and staggered to the doorway in shock. Hearing Ziggy's voice momentarily distracted them, then Verbena saw Al's motion. Instantly she saw his intent, and raced past him, reaching Gooshie first. Beth was close on her heels, and stopped to help Al to his feet.  
  
The Admiral immediately bowed to Verbena and Beth's expertise, and instinctively took command of the situation. The Project was clearly under attack.   
  
"Ziggy, get the Imaging Chamber back online and get the medics down here STAT," he barked. Al looked at the downed programmer as Beth and Verbina hovered over him, checking his vital signs. He issued orders rapidly to the staff as they showed up, and only allowed the medics to enter. He had to warn Sam, but he had to make sure the Project was secure first. He delayed his departure to the Imaging Chamber until Julianna arrived, backed by heavily armed Marines. He released the scene into her capable hands, and with one more glance in Gooshie's direction left for the Control Room. He could hear Julianna and Verbena barking orders behind him.  
  
"Admiral?" Ziggy asked softly as Al jogged down the hall.  
  
"What?" Al replied, his mind busy.  
  
"I haven't lost a friend, have I?" Her voice was almost a whisper.  
  
Al took a deep breath and slowed to a walk, the other thoughts forgotten. Had she? He didn't know, and couldn't afford to think about it now. "I hope you haven't, Ziggy. I don't know." He squared his shoulders and pushed the thoughts aside, and strode quickly into the Control Room. He was met with the wide eyes and questioning looks of Sammie Jo and Tina.  
  
"Ziggy should have the Imaging Chamber ready to go." He snatched up the hand link, trying to think of what to say. He stopped, and met their eyes. "There was an explosion. Gooshie's hurt."   
  
The two women gasped in unison.   
  
"I don't know how bad. Ziggy says there's another leaper with Sam and I have to warn him before it's too late. It looks like Gooshie was right about an interloper." The pair dropped their heads, stunned, and started working the controls. They knew what was at stake, and time was of the essence.  
  
Al approached the Imaging Chamber door. Ever so softly, the humming of the Imaging Chamber began and Ziggy's soft voice floated throughout the Project. "Thank you, Gooshie. You saved me."  
  
Al entered the Chamber somberly.  
  
Tina's voice emitted from the intercom. "Admiral," she said, her voice cracking with emotion, "Ziggy seems to be fine for the moment, but I don't know for how long."  
  
Al nodded at the information and pushed back the welling emotions from Ziggy's soft thanks. "Center me on Sam, sweetheart."  
  
"Yes, Admiral."   
  
May 28, 1977  
Kingswood Farms, Virginia  
  
From his perch on the upper rail of the arena fence, Sam watched Alia and the other riders jump horses over brightly painted fences. He studied Alia for several minutes, admiring her gracefulness and control. In his mind he knew she integral to the happenings at the Project, and the thought was counter to the peaceful scene before him.   
  
Having Al pop out so dramatically had greatly disturbed him. Sam was determined to confront Alia at first, but during the walk to the arena he had reasoned himself out of it. Talking irately to her wasn't going to cut it, and he knew it. So, he calmed himself down by just watching her and waited for the right opportunity.  
  
The sound of the Imaging Chamber door startled him right off the fence into the arena. He turned to look outside the fence and saw a bright spot of light trying to grow to the size of a door. Sam squinted into the white blur of light. "Al?" he whispered.  
  
Alia noted her boss' tumble from the fence, and reined her horse to a stop. She saw him lean over the fence, and thought he was in pain. Nudging her mount in his direction, she felt the horse stiffen, and saw his ears lock forward. His steps became hesitant, and he shied to one side. He didn't want to go near the man. Her concentration switched to calming the horse down.   
  
Her job wasn't going to be any easier when the horse saw a bright, red rectangle appear close to Sam. The animal planted his feet, and refused to move.  
  
When Zoey maneuvered her way through the door and saw the horse, she grinned a wicked grin and threw both of her hands up and said, "BLEEAH!" The terrified animal spun and tried to run, but Alia pulled his head around and forced him into a tight circle. Zoey laughed a throaty laugh, and turned her attention to Sam when she heard him talking.   
  
Al tried to focus on his surroundings, and double-checked that his face was void of emotion. "Hey, Sam!" he called out loudly. "Sam, where are you?"   
  
"I hear you, Al." Sam whispered. "Where are you?"   
  
"Oh, is your friend here, now, Dr. Beckett?" Zoey questioned as she tilted her head every so slightly to listen to his one-sided conversation.   
  
"Terrific," Al muttered to himself. "First the cramps from hell and now this. I'm standing right beside you, Sam. At least, I think I am. This isn't good.   
I can't make heads or tails of anything here." He started in on the hand link.  
  
"Al? What's wrong?" Sam tilted his head, trying to zero in on his Observer's voice, and saw a flicker of light. "I... wait... I can barely see you. What's wrong with Ziggy?" Sam glanced over his shoulder, and saw Alia working her horse in a tight circle nearby, and turned his attention back to Al.  
  
Slowly Al began to visualize Sam in the Imaging Chamber, faintly at first but it was slowly getting clearer. "We're not sure about everything yet. G... we're working on it." Al was making some fast decisions. How much did Sam need to know? What was his gut telling him to say? "Ziggy's been acting weird."  
  
" 'Weird'? How weird? What do you mean, 'weird'? What's she saying?"  
  
Zoey snorted a laugh. "Probably, 'Please, Lothos, don't cut off my power supply!' " The comment made her fall into another coughing fit.  
  
Al took in a deep breath. "Sam, Ziggy also says there's another leaper here with you."  
  
"Another leaper?! Here?" Sam turned in a circle, and saw Alia had stopped the nervous horse just a few feet away. Her head snapped up in astonishment.  
"Dammit," Zoey said hotly. "They know! How'd they know?"  
  
"What did you say? Leaper?" Alia's eyes began to blink rapidly. Her mouth dropped open as she studied her employer with a fearful eye.  
  
"Alia," Sam started in a pleading tone, his arms out to his side.  
  
"Alia?!" Al shouted, suddenly noticing the woman on the horse. Her face wasn't very clear, but he recognized her. He pounded on the hand link in his hand, trying to get more information from Ziggy but not getting anything other than gibberish.  
  
She stared at the aura of Jim Kidd, open-mouthed. "Sam?" she said in a quaking voice.  
  
Sam decided not to approach her. "Alia...." The horse started to fidget. "It's me, yeah. Sam Beckett. And I think that you're why I'm here."   
  
"Oh, bloody hell!" Zoey raised her hands to scare the horse.  
  
The horse jumped backwards at the commotion and threw Alia off over his shoulder. She hit the ground shoulder first, and rolled into a sitting position. She scrambled backwards as Sam approached.   
  
"What? What about Thames? And Zoey? I thought I was free of them!"  
  
"Not yet, you bitch." Zoey said hotly. "I'd kill you myself if I were there, Alia. Thames! Where have you been, you idiot? They know about you."  
  
Thames dropped into the arena behind Sam, smiling wickedly. He had left the shotgun leaning on the outside of the fence hoping to get as close as possible first. That plan was blown now that they knew about him. "Oh, what an introduction," he said warmly. "Did you miss us, Alia?"  
  
Alia got to her feet, finally noticing the dangerous glint in ranch hand's eye as he entered the arena. "Thames?" she whispered.  
  
"That's our leaper, Sam!" Al confirmed, his view flickering. He swore under his breath and he tapped the keys of the hand link rapidly.  
  
"Thames?" Sam echoed, turning and preparing to fight. "Alia! Get out of here! Go!" Sam motioned towards the woods.  
  
Alia hadn't moved. "No, Sam. I'm not going to run away from them anymore. I'm facing my demons." She realized the term accurately described whom they were dealing with.  
  
"Interesting choice of words, my dear. But you really don't even know what demons are. Yet." Thames said hauntingly.  
  
"I know exactly what I'm talking about," Alia growled, moving in for a fight.  
  
"Quit talking and kill them, you idiot!" Zoey snapped hotly.  
  
Thames' glare turned into a sickly smile as he thought of how he would love to hear her scream in agony. "You think so?"  
  
"Damn it, Sam! Get the hell out of here! Now!" Al realized that Ziggy was starting to fail again.   
  
The other rider in the arena heard the ruckus and started over to the group.  
Alia was undaunted. "Listen, Thames. You don't have the balls to try something. I know that look. You won't do anything. You're all blow and no go."  
  
Sam took the split second opportunity of Thames' distraction and charged at him. "Alia! Run!" Sam tackled him and they both went rolling, fighting for the upper hand.  
  
"Look out for the fence, Sam!" Al hollered.  
  
"NO!" Alia cried. "Sam!"   
  
It was a sickening sight for the leapers and Al as their auras undulated weirdly between them. Sam blurred into and out of Jim Kidd, and Thames' alternated between a heavyset white man and a thin black man. They rolled under the fence as one tangled mass, one man intent on defeating and the other intent on killing.   
  
Alia moved with them but then the other rider arrived and stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. "No. You don't want to be in the middle of that," he said.   
  
Sam managed to stop their momentum while he was on top of Thames' chest, and threw several punches in a row. His knuckles were bloody, as was the Thames' face. With a roar of fury, Thames had a burst of energy and threw Sam aside, holding him firmly by his collar. He unleashed a mighty undercut to the gut, throwing Sam backwards. He landed hard on his head and the world spun crazily for a few seconds. He rolled to his knees, unable to protect his kidneys, and Thames zeroed in on the opening with hard kicks.   
  
"Sam! Don't let this nozzle do this! Get up and hit him!" Al fuzzy voice rang out as he danced like a shadow boxer, his holographic image fading in and out.   
  
"Come on sweetie, don't let me down! Kick him for me, for you, for anything you want, baby, just do him in!" Zoey cheered hoarsely as she watched from the sidelines.  
  
Sam rolled away from his adversary, and used that momentum to grab the attacking foot kicking and twist it violently. There was a popping sound, and Thames yelled out as he lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.   
  
"Why are you letting this leech get the better of you? Fight, you wimp, fight!" Zoey raged.  
  
Alia managed to get away from the other rider and ran towards the pair.   
Sam quickly took the advantage of his downed adversary and threw himself over Thames, grinding his elbow in the man's neck. "Alia!" he gasped, "Get away! Run!"  
  
Alia wasn't the only one making her way to the fracas. A drumming of feet heralded the inevitable arrival of the other barn workers, all eager to help their boss. When she got to Sam's side, Thames let loose with a mighty roll and the pair knocked her off her feet. A wild, stray kick from Thames hit her squarely across the face, bowling her back to land hard on the ground. She clamored up to her feet, a red mark prominent on her face.  
  
She stood for a frozen second, her hand on her throbbing face. She took in the dusty battle, and in an instant realized that Zoey must be here somewhere, too. Fear and panic washed over her; she glanced up to the approaching barn crew and made the decision to leave Sam in their hands.   
  
Alia scrambled back through the fence into the arena and was able to catch the loose horse that still trusted her. Mounting up, she intended to do exactly what Sam had said... run. Gathering up the reins, she glanced back at Sam one more time then urged the horse to fly away.  
  
"Good girl! Run!" Al urged, his voice static.  
  
"Dammit! She's getting away!" Zoey observed loudly. "If only I wasn't in this wheelchair." She looked back at Thames as he once again got the upper hand on the tiring Dr. Beckett. Thames was now on top of him, his hands locked around Sam's throat. "Squeeze, baby squeeze!" Zoey said, her eyes glazed in ecstasy over the shocked look on the good Doctor's face.  
  
"Come on, Sam! You can't let him do this. Come on!" Al was hopping up and down now; flustered that he couldn't help his friend. He got on his knees by Sam's head, knowing that he couldn't help, but wanting Sam to know that he was there for him. "Sam..." The Observer was alarmed by the redness of Sam's face.  
  
Sam was fighting for breath, his vision fading to black, as he tried to break Thames' grip on his neck. He locked eyes with his Observer and best friend, using them as a focal point. Suddenly, Al's face disappeared. Almost instantly, Thames' grip vanished. He took a great gasp, and blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, but Al was nowhere to be seen. He rubbed his neck and turned around in time to see Alia and her horse sail over the arena fence and gallop off into the distance.   
  
"Dammit, Thames! We almost had him!"  
  
Sam choked thanks to the workers who had pulled Thames off. Unable to speak anymore, he stumbled to the nearest Jeep, and to the puzzlement of the workers, climbed in and drove off spewing rocks and dirt as he went after Alia.  
  
Thames continued to thrash in his captors' grip, finally getting away when they saw their boss was safely away. Thames ran to the shotgun against the fence, grabbed it, and made a beeline to another ranch Jeep parked by the barn. He jumped in to the shouts of the workers, and followed the trail of dust. 


	5. Fallen Hero Chapter 5

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
PART FIVE  
  
Sam tore down the lengthy driveway, his neck a throbbing reminder of what was behind him. He turned down the highway in the general direction he last saw Alia. Almost immediately, he spotted a small paved road off to his right and he took it, relying on his bump of direction. He calculated that he could head her off, and that she wasn't that far ahead of him. The road made a sweeping curve around the base of a hill and when he rounded the apex of the curve he saw a valley open up off to his right.   
  
The motion of a running horse in the corner of his eye immediately caught his attention. He pulled off the road, hiding the Jeep in a bunch of trees, and headed back to the valley on foot. Swallowed by the trees, he couldn't see her, so he crossed the narrow road and climbed to a ridge above the highway just in time to see Alia come out of the brush edging the roadway. She was almost across from him, but he wasn't sure if she was in hearing distance and debated yelling to her. He opted to hold his tongue when he heard the sound of a car on the highway, and was glad he did when he saw it was Thames. He realized he had no time to warn her.  
  
Alia was galloping down the side of the highway when she heard the sound of the vehicle behind her. She looked back over her shoulder to see who it was, and when she saw Thames, she spurred the horse on and pulled the reins toward the roadside guardrail which was there to protect cars from going off into the valley below.  
  
Sam watched in horror as he saw her position herself to make a jump. His eyes widened in awe as the gelding barreled confidently down the straightway, like this was a walk in the park.  
  
It seemed an impossible jump from Sam's view. He saw the big, bay gelding's ears perk up as he gauged the distance to the roadside guardrail. The rail itself wasn't that high, only a couple of feet, but the drop on the other side was practically vertical. In addition, the ground looked hard with loose rocks spread across the slope, staying in place by unknown means. The dirt easement next to the roadway was in the same condition and Sam could hear the gelding's hooves pounding on the ground even from his distance.   
  
Alia was in a perfect two-point position, her hands low on the horse's neck, weight in her heels, and her body balanced to the galloping rhythm and raised slightly off the animals' back. Her face was set in concentration, totally aware of the danger following her, but not allowing it to distract her. She knew her life depended on the horse's ability.   
  
The bay's neck lowered slightly as he gathered his hindquarters under himself, setting his feet for a firm take-off. Time seemed to slow as Sam saw the gravel flying from the horse's hooves. He was awed that the animal could keep his feet, let alone make the jump he was angling towards.   
  
The following Jeep was moving at a good speed, slipping slightly sideways as it transitioned from the roadway to roadside, trying to close the gap between them. Sam saw Thames leaning out the window, his elbow hooked on the doorframe for stability as he leveled the gun on the galloping couple. The Jeep was entering the straightaway Alia was on, and he would have a clear shot in seconds. There was a pinging noise from rocks striking the metal guardrail and a screeching of tires mixed with the thunder of the bay's hooves. The Jeep spewed a cloud of dust from beneath the two tires on the roadside.  
  
Sam focused back on Alia and whispered, "NO!" protesting the planned gunshot and the imminent leap of the gelding. As he raised his hands to his mouth to warn Alia, the animal jumped. Sam held his breath.  
  
It was a graceful arc, the gelding's head raised up, ears forward. He seemed to float over the guardrail, feet tucked neatly, then angled sharply down. As his hindquarters cleared the rail and the pair sank down out of sight in a puff of dust, a gunshot rang out. It was a wild shot, considering how the Jeep was fishtailing.  
  
From his higher viewpoint across the road Sam saw the horse slipping down the hill, amazingly keeping his balance by sitting on his hindquarters while stretching out his front legs and delicately using them to steer. Alia was molded to his back as if they were one unit. It would have been a beautiful sight to study if it weren't for the Jeep sliding to a stop at the horse's take off point.   
  
"Shit!" he heard Thames shout at the audacity of such a feat. Thames jumped from the car and sprinted to the rail to draw a bead on Alia. He wobbled for a few seconds as his feet found purchase on the rocky ground, then aimed the gun in her direction. The dust from the fleeing pair slowed his target acquisition, giving them a precious few moments to escape.  
  
Alia was firmly in control of the horse, guiding him gently. There was a ditch at the base of the hill with heavy brush on the far side; beyond that was forest and cover. Sam could see she had the slimmest chance for escape.   
  
The magnificent animal used his front legs to position himself for the jump at the bottom. He was alert, again gauging the distance, ears pricked forward like he did this every day. As he pushed off the hill, he raised his knees gracefully and sailed over the ditch. On the roadside, Thames squeezed the trigger as the horse rose out of the dust. The shot was loud in the absence of pounding hooves and squealing tires, and it made Sam flinch.  
  
As the horse landed on the opposite bank he stumbled, nearly going down headfirst. Sam, horrified, watched as the horse's legs flailed in the loose dirt. Alia grabbed fistfuls of mane and she lost both stirrups, fighting to stay aboard while the horse fought to stay on his feet. With the reins free and flying, the animal managed to stay upright and crashed through the brush just as another shot tore through the air. The horse and rider were a frantic blur as they entered the woods. Sam just saw a glimpse of Alia clinging to the horse's neck as they disappeared to the sound of yet another shot. He couldn't tell if they had been hit or not; he was still shocked they survived the jump.  
  
Time snapped back to real speed as Sam realized he was an open target standing on the hill. Flopping down on his stomach, he parted a bush with his hands so he could watch Thames' reaction. He heard the crackling sound of breaking brush fading in the distance as Alia and her savior retreated. Thames cursed loudly and waved his arms angrily as he stormed his way back to the Jeep and Sam was grateful for at least the illusion of safety behind the skimpy brush. He watched the evil leaper fire up the car and begin the hunt for a way into the woods. Sam knew he had to find Alia quickly and get her to safety, wherever that may be.  
  
************  
  
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Al ranted when he found himself surrounded by the Imaging Chamber again. "Get me centered on Sam now, Tina! Move it!"  
  
"We can't, Admiral. The power's been cut off to the IC..." Tina started.  
  
"I don't want to hear excuses! Sam's in danger!"  
  
"We know, Al." Donna snapped, her fingers flying over the console. Her eyes were red, but her voice strong. "Tina, check the main grid. Something is blocking the power flow. Gooshie said," her voice caught, then she got it under control. "Gooshie said there was an outside interface taking over."  
  
Al bit his tongue at the revelation. The last thing he needed to do was make Donna more worried and jump down everyone's throats.  
  
"Let me trace it down." Her normally plucky voice was shaky, trying to forget what she had seen, and knowing Sam's life was in the balance.   
  
A barely audible whisper floated down once again. "Danger. Shut. Down."  
  
"What?" Al shouted towards the ceiling. "Ziggy, what in the hell are you saying?"  
  
"Saaam, shut... down... danger." Ziggy's voice grew louder and louder until it sounded like a freight train running through the room. "SHUT DOWN!"  
  
Al blocked his ears, wincing at the noise. Donna and Tina slapped their hands over their ears too, their eyes watering. Suddenly, the room was deathly quiet.  
  
Al removed his hands before marching back to the Control Room, relieved the door worked at least. "What the hell happened?"  
  
An ashen-faced Sammie Jo entered the Control Room, her red-eyed paleness a clear picture of how Gooshie's accident was affecting everyone.   
  
Sammie just shook her head. "I think it's obvious, Admiral. Ziggy just said to shut her down. I shut her down."   
  
"And you listened?!" He waved his arms frantically.  
  
Sammie Jo winced at the tone, but understood his annoyance. "That's right. I did. This morning, Gooshie was talking about the main grids. He was trying to save Ziggy. You know how much he cared for this project. Ziggy was his baby, and he was doing everything he could. So when she says to shut down, I'm going to shut her down. She was asking us to. She might be able to fight it now. I... I don't know for sure, but we have to give her a chance." A tear slid down her cheek but she didn't bother to wipe at it.  
  
Al looked at her with a frown. "Do we know how, what-ever-it-is, is trying to control Ziggy?"   
  
"No, not yet." Sammie Jo said softly. "But if you give me time, I can..."  
  
"Damn it, Sammie Jo! We've probably lost Gooshie and I'll be damned if we lose Sam too!" Al knew the moment the words passed his lips how that sounded, and he wished he could take them back.  
  
Sammie Jo stormed up to Al and stopped mere inches from his face, her anger clear. "I'm not going to lose my father, sir. Understand?" Sammie Jo set her jaw as she looked at him. "When it's time, we'll turn Zig back on, and get the IC running. I know that you want to see Sam and make sure that he's okay. I know that! But remember that dad knows some awesome Karate moves and can handle himself." Spent, the emotions of the day suddenly set on her and she broke down, sobbing.  
  
Al's face softened at the sight, but his frustration was still there. And of all times for her to start looking like Sam when he's making a point. Al closed his eyes and exhaled. He reached out to her, and tilted her chin to make her look up at him. "Okay, Sammie. Okay. We'll do this. We'll make it happen."  
  
************  
  
Donna and the others brainstormed a plan of action, and set of in their search and destroy missions. The infiltrator had to be isolated and stopped. They weren't even sure the extent of the infiltration, but they had to start somewhere.  
  
With the scientists in control, Al had a break from the action, and reluctantly headed toward the infirmary. He felt like a heel. He had gone off in full-bore fighting mode, and hadn't dared think about Gooshie since leaving Section Four. He rounded the final corner to his destination and hesitated just short of the door. He prepared himself mentally, and walked into the infirmary.  
  
It was quiet. A feeling of foreboding overcame him, and he dropped into the nearest seat, suddenly drained.   
  
Verbena must have heard him enter, because she appeared from another doorway like she was expecting him. The redness of her eyes and cheeks hinted to report, and Al hoped she wouldn't speak at all.   
  
She looked at Al with shiny eyes, her chin quivering. "I'm sorry, Al," she said hoarsely. "G... Gooshie didn't make it." She didn't wait for a response. She simply collapsed in a chair near him, silent tears running down her cheeks.  
  
Al gritted his teeth at the confirmation of his unspoken fear. He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, then sat forward and buried his face in his hands.  
  
Beth emerged from the inner room, tear marks staining her cheeks, but she wasn't crying at the moment. She regarded her husband with a sad expression. Shock had set in and she moved toward him not cognizant of what was really happening around her. She sat down beside her husband and placed a hand on his back. "We did everything humanly possible. We did all we could, and it simply wasn't enough."  
  
Al gently wrapped his arms around her, brushing her hair absently.   
  
She blinked twice letting his embrace close around her. Then the tears came again, her body shaking in his arms. "Oh, Al... I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's okay, baby." He whispered softly, forcing his own feelings down yet again. He held her a little more tightly, trying to stave off the guilty feeling that he hadn't done enough. "Everything will be okay."  
  
"I know it will. It has to be. He can't have died for no reason. He was your friend."   
  
Al huffed slightly. "He was a pain in the neck," he quipped, trying to push off his feelings of loss.  
  
Having seen it before with other family members who had passed away, Beth understood what he was trying to do. She lightly kissed his cheek. "I've already said my good-byes. Perhaps you should do the same."  
  
Al blinked back some tears, not wanting to show the pain he was feeling. "I can't," he said softly.  
  
"Yes, you can." She sniffed, her crying under control. "You may act like the hard ass that you want everyone to think you are, but I know your heart.   
You have to have closure on this. I'll come with you, if you'd like." She stood beside him and offered her hand. "Al?"  
  
Al took her hand, and squeezed it as he slowly stood up. He took a deep breath and followed her. "I don't... I ... you know."  
  
Beth sighed softly. "Baby, I know." Fresh tears fell down her cheeks again and she softly tugged on his hand again with a sad smile. "You can do this."  
  
Al looked at her lovingly before he allowed himself to be led into the room. It was cold and eerie, and he wanted to flee right off the bat, but he stood his ground both mentally and physically as he approached the body.  
  
Beth gently folded back the sheet from Gooshie's face as 'Bena had done for her. He looked peaceful, almost as if he was sleeping. She kept her eyes downcast at Gooshie's face, trying to give Al an illusion of privacy.  
  
His jaw muscles worked quietly as he spoke through clenched teeth, the words directed at the still body. "Damn it, why'd you have to be so..."  
  
"Heroic?" Beth finished for him.  
  
"Yeah." He whispered, letting out a breath as he looked down on Gooshie. He felt responsible. If he had only reached him sooner, this wouldn't have happened.   
  
Beth read his thoughts. "You can't blame yourself, Al. Gooshie did what he had to do. He... he loved her, Al. He put his life into Ziggy. Ziggy was his reason for getting up in the morning. He..." Beth choked, unable to talk.  
  
Al knew that Beth was right. He couldn't blame himself. Now, he couldn't stop the tears. They fell silently from his eyes, and he quickly wiped them away, only to have fresh ones take their place. "He was... was....jeeze, Beth, he drove me nuts." Al pulled her close to stop his own quivering.  
  
A small laugh burst out from her sorrow. "I know. And his breath..." She wiped at her own tears in Al's embrace. "It could knock over a cow! But, I'll miss his coffee, and his chatter, his absent mindedness and his quiet way."  
  
Al chuckled softly behind the tears. "Who's going to drive us up the wall now? He'll be missed. It's just..." he shook his head, unable to continue, and simply held her.   
  
Beth held him as tightly as he held to her. Together in their grief, they stood in the room saying good-bye in their own way. Beth finally stepped from the arms of her husband and looked at Gooshie one last time. She laid her hand on top of his. "Good-bye, Gooshie. Watch over us."  
  
Al's gaze followed her, but he stepped back smartly, and snapped into well-rehearsed attention. With all the respect he had for his friend and colleague, he swallowed hard and executed a perfect salute to the fallen hero. 


	6. Fallen Hero Chapter 6

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
May 29, 1977  
Outside Reston, Virginia  
  
'Sometimes in a leap, when you think that there isn't a way to solve a problem, I've found that if you just sit down and rest for a moment that the problem becomes clearer. Usually the solution appears right in front of you.'  
  
Sam sighed and sat down on a rock. It was tougher than he thought to find the path Alia's horse had taken, especially since he was trying to be quiet about it. He stretched his neck muscles by moving his head back and forth and massaged the tense muscles of his neck with his fingers. He closed his eyes, then opened them and found he was looking at the ground. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the hoof-print two feet in front of him.  
  
He followed the marks with his eyes and saw the broken and crushed path, freshly turned from pounding hooves. He looked around carefully knowing that Thames was after Alia as well, then started down the beaten down path. He hesitated when he heard a noise ahead. Ducking low, he crept closer, finding that the trees gave way to a natural opening protected by tree trunks. Lying in the opening was a large form with a person bending over it. It was Alia and the horse.  
  
When Al suddenly popped in beside Sam his heart leaped into his throat. Startled, he placed a hand on his chest. "Al! You scared the life out of me! I thought you were Thames!" He whispered sharply.  
  
Al's shoulders straightened uncomfortably. "Don't say that, Sam. The possibility is more likely than you think."  
  
Sam's eyes widened. "What?" He hissed as he retreated back a step into the brush, afraid he'd scare off Alia. "Why?"  
  
Al took a deep breath as he nervously looked around. "We know what's wrong with Ziggy. I'm afraid it's not good."  
  
Ziggy's sultry voice softly filtered down around him in the Imaging Chamber, unheard by Sam. "Admiral, I can't hold him off much longer ... not much time."  
  
Al looked up toward the ceiling. "Just hang on for a little longer," he said almost pleadingly. Then to Sam, he said, "We're running out of time here,   
Sam. Somehow, Lothos has infiltrated her and we are having a hell of a time getting him out."  
  
"Lothos? In Ziggy? How'd that happen? Can't Gooshie get him out?"  
  
Al reacted instantly. "I don't know!" Al shouted. Realizing he had to get his act together, he exhaled loudly to calm himself.  
  
Sam snapped his mouth shut, shocked at Al's reaction. It had been a reasonable question to ask, and he didn't understand why he had snapped so harshly. Softly, he said. "Al, you have to stop it. Gooshie has to stop it. This is serious."   
  
Al dropped his head at the mention of Gooshie and took a deep breath, held it for a second, then said, "We're going to get Lothos out, Sam. But until we do, we can't help you or Alia one iota. If we do, Lothos will find out our plans, and you're both history."  
  
The Imaging Chamber program shivered, reminding both Observer and   
Leaper that time was running out for the both of them.  
  
Sam fought down the growing fear by running down a list of possible scenarios through his mind. It didn't take long for the scientist to come up with a thought. "Alia!" Sam looked at Al with a crooked smile. "Alia can help! She can get us to their Project, whatever it's called, or at least get us a location. We can get him that way! That's probably why I was sent here!"  
  
Al nodded even as Sam spoke. Neither one could help but notice how the reception was getting worse by the second. "Do whatever you can, Sam," he said as he glanced up. "Damn it, Ziggy! Hang on!"  
  
The holographic colors in the Imaging Chamber slowly began to darken and Sam's world began to fuzz around the edges of the hologram as it ever so slowly dissolved toward the middle. "Al..." Ziggy said weakly, trying to get his attention. "Time all gone."  
  
Al tensed at her choice of words. "I have to go, Sam." He started pushing buttons like crazy. "Hang on, buddy."  
  
"Al... you're getting all fuzzy.... I can't hear you!" Sam said, his voice edged with panic. He reached out to touch Al knowing it was futile, but the action seemed so natural. "I'll do what I can from this end! This isn't the end, Al!"   
  
Sam didn't think his friend heard him, but the two exchanged glances that said everything. The image began to fade, turning into a fuzzy blur, then snapped out of existence, leaving one friend in the woods and the other in a distant, metallic room.  
  
"Oh, boy." Sam thought as he stared at the emptiness for a few seconds, not wanting to believe what he just saw. He blinked, then turned to concentrate on his last chance, lying there on the forest floor next to a dead horse. He took a deep breath to control his shaking hands and stood.   
  
When he pushed through the brush and entered the open area, he could clearly hear her sobbing. He stepped closer, keenly aware of the crunching his feet made on the dry leaves. With each step his desperation came more under control and he began to feel empathy for her. He knew that she would not want to get back into this whole leaping gig again. Sam felt a flash of guilt about asking her to go back, but this was his only chance. He had already decided that he wasn't going to beg. He stopped a few yards away.  
  
"Alia?" He said softly. "Are you alright?"  
  
Alia's head snapped up at her name. Without looking around for the source, she jumped up and began to run away from the downed horse. She only made a few steps before she fell down with a cry. Quickly, she tried to get up again.  
  
"No!" Sam called fearfully. He bolted after her and grabbed her arm. "Stop, Alia, you're hurt! Let me help you."  
  
Alia jerked her arm away from him. "NO!" She tried to run again, but fell again a few feet away, still crying. "No.... They'll only hunt me down and kill me. Leave me alone!"  
  
Sam took a big step and grabbed her again, then pulled her into a bear hug to calm her down. "Shhh, Alia. I know you're scared. So am I." He held her tightly and she wiggled lamely.  
  
She felt safe in his arms, but knowing that she wasn't safe anywhere as long as Zoey was around. 'She'll get her revenge,' Alia thought, and shivered at the memory of her last punishment.  
  
Sam felt her shaking. "It's okay. We'll be okay. Come on, sit. You're hurt." He loosened his grip and guided her to the ground. Her leg was obviously injured. Sam could see the blood staining her riding pants.   
  
She cringed as she sat down and jarred the leg.  
  
Sam knelt down beside her and started a cursory examination, finding the wound on her leg. "Is it a bullet, or from the fall?" He asked, tearing at the hole to make it bigger.  
  
"I think it was a bullet," she gasped. "It's been stinging since Traveler jumped the ledge." Her nails dug into her thigh.  
  
It was a bloody mess. He examined the whole leg carefully. "Well, the bone's intact, and there's an exit wound. I think it's okay."  
  
Alia clenched her teeth tightly as he probed the wound. "God, can you hurt me more, Dr. Beckett?" she complained.   
  
"A little sore, huh?" He laughed shortly, and ripped off his sleeve. "I was always told I had a good bedside manner."   
  
Alia looked at him through slits. "This isn't funny. You don't have any idea about what's going on with Thames and Zoey, and you're worried about this?" She asked motioning to her leg. "I didn't see her, but I know Zoey's around too. Why can't I see her?" She gritted her teeth in pain.  
  
He wrapped the leg firmly, then checked her foot for a pulse.   
  
"I know exactly what's going on with Zoey and Thames. My guess is that your brain waves have been altered somehow, so you and Zoey aren't linked anymore." Sam paused. "Increased Theta waves could do it. Maybe the hypnosis combined with the electrical surge from your last leap increased you Theta waves. That's just a theory, but I do know that we're going to stop them both. Again."  
  
"Again?" Alia asked, distracted by her throbbing leg.  
  
"Yes. Only this time, we'll both be free."  
  
Without warning, Alia slapped him hard across the face. "I was already free... and you brought them back to me!" She painfully struggled to her feet, trying to avoid touching Sam.  
  
"Me? I didn't bring them! I just showed up here!"   
  
She twirled around to him, flailing her arms for balance. "And I'm supposed to believe that? Lothos placed me exactly where he wanted me. Surely your Ziggy has that ability, too." She took a few jaunty steps forward testing the leg.  
  
He stood up and brushed off his pants, and took a big breath to control his anger and fear. "We don't know who, or what, controls my leaps. But I'm always put somewhere for a reason, and you're it!" Sam grabbed at her, trying to act as her crutch, directing her away from the lifeless horse. "And we gotta get out of here before we both die!"  
  
Alia jerked away from him. She wasn't going to argue with him about dying. She knew all about that subject. "No." She said doggedly, shaking her head in denial. "No... you aren't here for me. I was fine and dandy before you showed up." She continued limping away from him. "But I'll be damned before I let Zoey or Thames try to do anything to me."  
  
Sam stood in place, letting her go on her own and knowing he couldn't force her into anything. But she was his last hope. "Alia," He said forlornly. "ALIA!" He couldn't hold the fear back any longer. "You don't understand!"  
  
Alia quickly turned around to him and snapped, "I understand that if you keep yelling like that that they'll find us."  
  
He put his hand on his forehead, physically trying to calm his thoughts.   
His hand was shaking visibly, and he tried to control it. "No," he said firmly and calmly. "You don't understand. I'm not here for you, Alia." He took a deep breath and dropped his hands helplessly to his side. He stared at her directly in the eyes, his desperation clear, and he knew he had her attention.   
"You are here for me. I need your help."  
  
Alia finally noticed his shaking and the edge in his voice. The Sam Beckett she knew was strong and independent; this one was very scared and dependent on her. That alone was enough to scare the daylights out of her.   
  
"What?" she sputtered, almost losing her balance. "My help? I can't help you,   
Sam! There isn't any way for me to help you. I can't get you home."  
  
"Maybe not. But you can save my home."   
  
"Your home?" She hesitated, then took a step toward him. His eyes showed the fear he was trying to hide. "What do you mean? How could I help you?"  
  
After a moment's consideration, he stepped to her and took her hands.   
She felt the clammy hotness of his grip. "Alia. Ziggy's under attack from Lothos."  
  
Alia's face went white in an instant. She knew exactly what Lothos was capable of. Her mouth opened and closed, wanting to say something but not knowing exactly where to start. Finally, she looked away shook her head sadly.   
"Then, Ziggy's gone."  
  
He gripped her hands tighter and pulled them to his chest. "Alia!" He pleaded, "You have to help me! I refuse to accept that. I won't give up on Ziggy. Never. I'll do everything in my power to save her, and I can, with your help! That's why I'm here. The entire Project is in danger and all my friends could die! You know that!"  
  
Softly, she replied, "You don't understand me, Sam. Ziggy is gone if Lothos was able to establish a strong enough link..."   
  
He threw her hands down. "I will not lie down and take it! And neither will you! You will never be truly free if you let this go, Alia, and you know that!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "You know I'm right."  
  
Alia closed her eyes. He was right. He was always right. In resignation, she took a deep, shaky breath. "Do you know if he established a physical link to Ziggy?"  
  
A flash of hope sparked in Sam's mind. "I don't think so. They've been able to work around whatever it is so far, but I don't know for how long."  
  
Alia sighed. She had suppressed the memories for so long that she actually wondered if she could recall them. "Well, you first have to realized who we are dealing with here, Sam. Do you remember Nathaniel Lothoman?"  
  
Sam's brow furrowed. Asking for a memory from him was usually a hit or miss affair, but that name was familiar.   
  
"You must remember him," she insisted. He stayed current with all of your experiments. Never wanted to be behind the genius of our time."  
  
"Wait..." Sam was thinking hard. "He was always asking questions. I got the idea he was more than a fan. Almost a competitor."  
  
Resigned, Alia nodded sadly. "More than you know, Sam. More than you know."   
  
Even as she said the words, her mind began to flash back to when she had been taken from the streets of Britain. She wished now that she had never run away from home, had never said yes to a lunatic...but she had.  
  
Even as she told Sam her story, she was reliving it. 


	7. Fallen Hero Chapter 7

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Somewhere near the British Isle  
  
The muscular man gently guided Alia into a large room, one of the many rooms in his personal island cave. His jet-black hair gleamed under the fluorescent lighting, accenting his glowing midnight blue eyes. His six-foot frame was formidable, stunning both in elegance and power. His smile showed brilliant white teeth.   
  
"Alia, do you know what real power is?"  
  
"Real power? You mean, electrical or atomic, don't you?" Her voice was full of wonder and awe at the machinery that filled the large room.  
  
He shook his head at her naïveté, turning his smile towards a redheaded woman working on one the machines.  
  
The redheaded woman seemed to feel his look, and responded by turning her head in their direction with obvious affection. "I have the power up and running like you asked." She spared a glance at the young teen beside him, and her expression turned to one of distaste. She snarled, "Who's the brat?"  
  
Taken aback by the reaction, Alia frowned at the comment. "Hey..." She said nothing else, but took hold of Nathaniel's arm, gripping it tightly.  
  
He patted her hand and chuckled. "Zoey, honey, be kind to our new resident." He looked at Alia meaningfully. She smiled nervously in return. "You are going to have to teach her."  
  
Zoey rolled her eyes. "Oh goody," she said sarcastically. "Let me go get her a tootsie pop to suck on."  
  
He stepped away from Alia towards the cheeky woman Alia pegged as his lover, and slapped her hard across the face. There was a look of anger in his eyes that frightened Alia, and she took a shocked step back.   
  
He grabbed Zoey by the hair on the back of her head, and pulled her face towards his mouth. Then, in a voice too low for Alia to hear, growled, "Teach this twerp like I tell you. She's expendable. You're the best there is and I'm not going to risk losing you if this fails," then released her.  
  
When she turned back to him, her face was void of expression. She knew better than to show pain. 'Always keep them guessing, hon...always', she thought to herself. "Yes, sir." She ran her fingers quickly through her blazing hair and looked at the girl behind him. "I'm Zoey. And you are?" She asked, her eyebrow lifting lightly as she examined the young lady up and down.  
  
"Alia," she squeaked, then coughed and repeated more loudly, "Alia." Alia knew instinctively not to show fear to this one, and clasped her hands together in front of her to hide the shaking. She'd learn how to hide her fear when she was on the streets.  
  
Nathaniel smiled at the introductions. It was a sickly, sweet smile that was obviously false. Zoey took the grin as a gloat, and couldn't fathom why he was happy to have this sappy little thing with him. But he obviously had a plan for her, and Zoey knew how to stay on his good side.   
  
"She'll do," Zoey grumbled.  
  
"I thought that she might." The dynamic man put his arm around Zoey's shoulders and walked her away from the girl. "Think of her as someone you can mold." He stopped at a computer station, knowing he'd just tweaked his lover's curiosity. Then, he then turned to Alia. "Come my dear, I want to show you something." He showed the way with the sweep of a hand.  
  
"Okay." She replied, not immediately turning away from Zoey in another effort to show she wasn't scared. Finally, she fell behind her leader.  
  
Zoey stood her ground, watching the sickening pair - one unbelievingly ingenious and the other unbelievably naive. She shook her head as they walked away, at the same time instinctively knowing that someone had walked up behind her. She knew exactly who it was, and stated with a growl, "He's one sick bastard, Thames," before the black man even made it to her side.  
  
"Really? I hadn't noticed." He said sarcastically on his arrival.  
  
"And you follow a close second," she said as she turned to the tall slender man to her left. "When are you going to learn that you can't sneak up on me anymore?"  
  
Thames smiled widely. "Why don't you teach me how, then?"  
  
Zoey leaned very close to Thames' ear, so close that she could smell the cologne that he was wearing. She lightly bushed her lips against his ear and whispered. "You'd like it way to much, you arrogant, annoying, sexy thing."  
  
Thames smile widened at her tease. "Well, then, love, why don't you do something I won't like?"  
  
It was Zoey's turn to smile evilly as she leaned back away from him. "Then you'd be dead and of no use to me."  
  
"Ooo! Ouch, baby! Ouch!" He winked at her, then feigned to go but grabbed her roughly instead. The kiss he deposited was void of affection, and applied as a challenge before he walked away as if nothing happened.  
  
Zoey didn't know whether to enjoy the kiss or be revolted by it. Licking her lips, she tilted her head as she admired the way his pants molded to his body. She shook her head to stop the distracting thoughts, and left to find her boss and the simpy girl.  
  
Nathaniel and Alia were in the deepest part of the cavern, inspecting a large metallic box, which seemed out of place among the rest of the gadgets and gismos scattered around the room. The simple-looking box gave no outer indication of the complexity on the inside.  
  
"Alia, do you know what this is for?" He asked carefully, indicating the box.  
  
"No," she answered. "I've never seen anything like it." The streets of   
London were far dirtier.  
  
"And you never will, dear. This odd box is going to change the world as we know it, making one person greater than any other on the face of the planet."  
  
"Really?" She was genuinely impressed and curious at the same time. "What is it, exactly?"  
  
"This is the start of the future, Alia. This is the beginning of the greatest computer ever to exist."  
  
"Oh. I'm afraid I don't know anything about computers. This isn't the whole thing?" She touched the box lightly, then pulled back.  
  
"No, this is only one module. The computer itself will surround it. Engulf it." He seemed ready to get into the box right then. "And, Alia, dear, you are going to be a part of the future this computer will create."  
  
She smiled. That sounded good to her. The present sure wasn't a rose garden, and the idea of a future created by this man, with her at his side, sounded more promising than anything she could ever hope for. "Sounds great!" She said admiringly.  
  
"Yes," Zoey smiled hauntingly as she heard what Nathaniel had said as she walked up. "Our future." She slowly crossed her arms. "One of which you will learn to trust me, Thames and Nathaniel. We'll keep you safe from harm."  
  
Nathaniel turned to Zoey. "When will we be ready for integration?"  
  
Zoey could read the excitement in Nathaniel's eyes as he spoke of the integration process. She approached him, letting her hand trace his jaw.   
"Anytime you're ready." She replied in the sultriest tone as she kept her eyes on his.  
  
His eyes narrowed slightly. "With the computer, Zoey. When will the computer be ready?"  
  
Realizing that the game of chase had been taken away from her because of this little girl beside him, she looked Nathaniel in his dark midnight blue eyes and smiled. "Like I said, dear, anytime you're ready."  
  
He took a breath. "Well, then...let's get the module hooked up."  
  
Zoey's hand still lingered on Nathaniel's shoulder and she leaned up toward his ear. "I'll get it ready for you, darling." She lightly kissed his cheek and turned to go.  
  
Before she could leave his side, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Stay away from Thames," Nathaniel growled in her ear.  
  
Zoey smiled at the hint of jealousy and wiggled up towards him again.   
"But Thames is in charge of the module. What do you want me to do? You know that I'll do anything for you."  
  
He smiled a bit. "Don't even ask that, Zoey. I might take you up on that. Now, let's get this module hooked up, shall we?" He walked away from her and circled the box, brushing it with his fingertips in lustful desire.  
  
Alia was taken aback by the interplay between the two, and realizing the gist of the unsaid things. She wasn't stupid, just young. She had to admit she admired the cheekiness of Zoey, and wished she could be more like her; she seemed so sophisticated. And there was an attraction between Zoey and Nathaniel that she wished could be solely focused on her. Alia caught herself staring at Zoey.  
  
Zoey tilted her head and gave Alia a sideways leer. "There's not a chance in hell that you'll ever have him. He's mine." She snarled lowly enough so that he couldn't hear.  
  
Alia's jaw dropped slightly, and she damned herself for blushing. The woman knew what she had been thinking! She ducked her head and quickly caught up to Nathaniel, embarrassed.   
  
Zoey noticed the reddening cheeks as Alia walked away. There wasn't going to be any little girl coming in to take her man away from her. He was her ticket to power. She looked Alia up and down, well aware of her youth and better figure.   
  
"Zoey!" Nathaniel called out, just as Alia came up to him. "Help me with this. And get that idiot engineer over here!"  
  
She smiled a tight smile of obedience, and searched out Thames with her eyes. Leaning that direction, she raised her voice to a commanding tone. "Thames, get over here."  
  
Thames sighed as he looked up, then noticed she was heading to   
Nathaniel. He knew better than to go against Nathaniel, so he went over without comment.  
  
Alia felt awkward and useless and was relieved to see another person joining them. Hopefully it would take Zoey's animosity away from her. She watched, staying out of the way, as they unloaded the contraption from the box.  
  
Silently working together, they deftly checked the module, making sure everything was properly connected with the correct wires going through the proper holes, and the biochips were intact. They handled the device gingerly.  
  
"There." Zoey said, satisfied, as she looked up into Nathaniel's eyes. "It's passed beta testing, and ready for the real thing."  
  
Nathaniel stroked her chin slowly, a gleam in his eyes. "Hook me up, darling," he ordered, a tinge of sexual excitement edging his voice. He stepped back into a cubicle cut into the wall of the cave.   
  
It looked like a space capsule to Alia, all steel and dials. Thick bundles of conduit dangled from the ceiling and walls, all surrounding a chair that looked like a Star Trek bio-bed. She watched Nathaniel step inside and stand, impatiently rubbing his hands together. She could tell the anticipation was almost too much for him.  
  
Zoey stepped in next to him, holding the module. It was a tight fit for the two of them. "Is there anything that you want before we connect you?" She asked in a sultry voice. She was feeding off his excitement, and had a glassy look in her eyes.  
  
"Are you asking me if I want a blindfold?" He asked her softly looking into her lovely blue eyes.  
  
"No, my dear, more like a last request."  
  
Nathaniel leaned over and kissed her firmly on the lips, making sure that   
Thames saw his actions, reaffirming his claim on the woman. "Just make sure that everything goes well."  
  
"You got it, sweet cheeks." She lightly patted his hip then turned around to see Alia standing to the side. Zoey smiled at her, but her eyes told another story. She then looked at Thames. "Come on, Thames. Let's get this show on the road."  
  
Alia felt like a fifth wheel. She stepped back, afraid of the look that Zoey had given her. She had no idea what was going on, but if anything happened to Nathaniel, she would be alone and at the mercy of those two deviants.  
  
Thames sighed at his lack of control when it came to Nathaniel Lothoman and stepped up to the portal opening. "Right. Dr. Lothoman, if you would prepare for the hook up." He picked up the necessary connectors and edged his way in.   
  
Nathaniel sat down in the seat, looking like a king settling on his throne.   
  
The hungry expression turned into one of sheer ecstasy as the module was positioned on he head. "Do it," he commanded.  
  
"Thames, may I have those?" She asked with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly as she reached for the conduit bundles he held.  
  
Thames looked at her and smiled slightly, willingly handing the connectors to her. "Be my guest." He said loudly. "I don't want to be the one to blame if Lothoman gets fried," he thought to himself.  
  
Taking the connectors in her hands, she inspected them carefully. "Honey, these look fine. I'm putting the connectors in place now." She inserted the first connector into its port, then nodded at Thames, who adjusted some dials on the wall of the cavern. A slight hum permeated the air.  
  
Nathaniel Lothoman gasped as if he were in pain, or very excited. Alia couldn't really tell.   
  
He could feel the wires entering his body just as he had planned. The power! Oh, the power! It was more thrilling than he ever imagined!  
  
Thames stifled a smile, hoping Nathaniel was in pain and that the whole thing would fail miserably.  
  
Knowing the anger she would face if she stopped, Zoey continued on even as Lothoman writhed in the chair. The next connector was slowly put in, and instead of waiting she connected the rest of them quickly.   
  
He could feel the power surging through him, making the pain of the entwining wires fade away. His reach was enormous! The possibilities were endless! He had mutated Dr. Beckett's theories to the point where he had made himself omnipotent! This was so much better than being human!   
  
Suddenly, Nathaniel's eyes widened as the pain became overwhelming. Every limb stiffened and twitched; he breathing became ragged. His head jerked back and his mouth opened in a silent scream. The observers realized that something was very wrong.  
  
Alia stepped up to the chair and knelt by Lothoman's side, placing her hand on his arm. His eyes were fixed and dilated, his breathing uneven.   
  
"Nathaniel?" She said softly as she petted his arm.  
  
Thames scowled at the gruesome sight. He could see the wires as they were meeting under Nathaniel's skin, how they disfigured his face and body, creating a grotesque caricature of a man.  
  
Zoey simply stood back after finishing the last connection, her eyes glazed with excitement. His power meant her power. It was thrilling.  
  
"What's happening?" Alia whispered out loud.  
  
Thames turned to Alia and replied, "Nathaniel is gone, lady."  
  
Zoey took one step towards Thames and slapped him hard across the cheek. "Shut up. He's not gone."  
  
Thames glared at her in response.  
  
Alia then knew that her worst fear coming true. She was here with these two on her own. She gripped the writhing man's forearm tightly, begging. "NO! You can't be gone!"   
  
Zoey roughly pulled her away from Nathaniel. "Get away from him!" She said menacingly.  
  
Alia fell back. "You've got to stop this!" Alia actually stood firm, her fists clenched, not backing down from Zoey although she was scared to death. "Stop this!" She looked at the woman determinedly, feeling her eyes watering.  
  
Zoey looked Alia up and down with a critical eye. "We can't stop this, love. It's too late."  
  
"It can't be too late. It just can't." Alia stared, stunned. Trapped. She couldn't leave this place now; Lothoman had been her guardian and the only way to leave the island. He had picked her up on the streets and promised her better, then abandoned her.   
  
With a tisk of her tongue, Zoey took Alia's place at Lothoman's side, and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek. She could feel the bio-wires growing, expanding under his flesh. She leaned over and lightly kissed his lips, then closed her eyes and placed her head on his chest. The convulsing body finally became limp, his face blank.  
  
Without warning, a deep, metallic voice rolled through the room. "Such sentimental foolishness, my darling."  
  
Zoey, Thames and Alia looked up and around the room, trying to locate the source of the voice floating around them. It seemed to be teasing them.  
  
"Nathaniel?" Zoey asked hopefully as she looked back to the limp face of the man before her.  
  
"He is here." The voice answered. "In part. Oh, Zoey, darling! It is truly amazing!"  
  
"Nathaniel..." Zoey bit her lip his voice surrounded her. "I knew... I knew that you weren't gone... you wouldn't leave me."  
  
"The Nathaniel Lothoman you knew is gone. I am no longer he. I am so much more than him. I am perfection."  
  
She frowned. "No." She said softly as she slowly raised to her feet and backed away from him. "You're still Nathaniel. You still..." She hesitated, unsure, the stated, "You still love me."  
  
The voice laughed. "Love? Bio-technical computers do not know how to love, Zoey."  
  
Zoey could have taken anything else that someone could have thrown at her and brushed it off, but this? This crushed the only part of her that accepted Nathaniel as a lover and as a partner. Thames was right. He was gone.   
  
She locked down the emotions trying to burst through. She wouldn't act like a blubbering fool. 'No one will treat me this way again and live to tell the tale,' she vowed. Her face carefully wiped clean of emotion, she said,"Fine, Lothoman."  
  
"That is the name of my creator and companion," the rolling voice boomed. "It is not he. I am.... Lothos."  
  
Unnoticed, Alia found she had backed towards the cave entry, an intruder in this foreign world. But she didn't want to go back where she came from, either. She was stuck between two impossible choices, and needed time to think. She dashed out of the cave, panicked.   
  
Hearing the footfalls, Zoey saw Alia running away. "Dammit," she cursed hoarsely, still unable to leave the side of what remained of her lover.  
  
"I'll get her." Thames spat, completely willing to get away. He caught up to her easily, and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.  
  
Alia tried to jerk free of Thames. "Let me go! I can't live here!"  
  
Thames raised his eyebrow. "You have no choice, lady. In fact, you're coming back to the Control Center right now."  
  
"Why? I'm of no use in there!" She again tried to pull away, but Thames had a strong grip. She struggled fruitlessly as she was drug back inside.  
  
"Surely, you're of some use or Dr. Lothoman wouldn't have picked you up. He always has a plan."   
  
***********  
  
Finally able to step away, Zoey made yet another check of the connections and circuits as Thames dragged Alia back in the cave. She raised her eyebrow, impressed, and looked at Thames in a new light. He was physically here, at least, and taking control of that intruder. "At least he's good for something," she mused out loud. She knew he was as much a part of Lothos' plan as she was, and figured that the girl must fit in that plan somewhere. She was deep in thought about the possibilities, annoyed at the voice's interruption.  
  
"Zoey." The voice commanded.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Zoey asked vehemently.  
  
Without warning, a bolt of electricity hit her squarely in the chest. It threw her back against the wall, and she slid to the floor, completely bewildered; her breathing was labored.   
  
"You will give me the respect you gave Lothoman. He cared greatly for you and wants me to do the same. He is part of me and therefore I do have some interest in you. Perhaps even feelings. You are important to the Project, but I will not put up with disrespect."   
  
Zoey vowed to not forget that lesson. "Forgive me?" She asked softly, trying to retain her position in the Project.   
  
Thames missed the attack, and when he dragged Alia back to the   
Control area he found Zoey on the floor, gasping and definitely in pain. He stopped. "What the hell happened?" He whispered more to himself than to anyone else in the room.  
  
"Forgiven for the time being," the voice rolled. "I have a task for you,   
Zoey. A very important task." The metallic voice sounded.  
Zoey closed her eyes and tried to stand. She was very dizzy, and had to shake her head to clear the fog. "And that would be?"  
  
"Lothoman asked you to teach Alia. Do so and continue the work.   
When we are ready, you will observe for her. Perhaps one day, you will even be favored for the Project. For the moment, however, you are far too important to risk."  
  
Looking at Alia, Zoey said, "She's very..." She paused wanting to choose her words carefully, "...very naïve. I'll do what I can. I'll teach her as you ask of me, Lothos."  
  
"Naïve?" Alia snapped at Zoey. "You don't even know me!" She struggled in Thames' grip, not liking the sound of this conversation.  
  
The voice agreed with Zoey. "Her naiveté makes her perfect for the job. She should be easy to train."  
  
'Train?' Alia thought, horrified.   
  
"Forgive me, Lothos, but won't her naïveté be her downfall?"  
  
"That's is why I am relying on you. She will be the first in case anything unexpected arises."  
  
"So, if she fails, I fail...I fail you." 'Interesting,' Zoey thought as she put her hand to her chest wondering exactly what kind of punishment to expect if she was disrespectful again.  
  
Alia interjected loudly, "And what is this... this plan you keep talking about? I sure didn't agree to any plan! And you two," she pointed at Thames and Zoey, "have no claim on me!" She finally threw off Thames' grip, and stood firmly.  
  
Another lightning bolt shot out from the conduit and hit Alia as it had hit Zoey, square in the chest. Alia's body flew back against the wall, knocking her out. "She is far too insolent."  
  
"Holy shit!" Thames cried, backing away from Lothos in obvious fear.  
  
Zoey snickered. "Far too insolent, indeed. And what of Thames, Lothos? Is he important for the project as well? Am I to train him too?" Zoey wanted to make sure of where she stood.  
  
"Of course. Thames must maintain my electronic systems and my biological systems as well."  
  
Thames didn't like the sound of that. "Biological systems?"  
  
"Yes, Thames," Zoey purred. "Keeping Lothoman alive so that Lothos could survive." She turned to look at him so that he could see her eyes and the emotions there. This scared her; scared her and made her mad all at the same time.  
  
Thames wasn't much into caring for anyone but himself, yet the look in her eyes made his heart go out to her especially since it scared him, too.  
  
"Zoey." The voice uttered again with authority.  
  
Closing her eyes, she turned back to Lothos and physically humbled herself. She bowed her head and went to her knees in front of the physical form left behind. "Yes, Lothos?" She asked quietly as her fingers touched at the charred hole in her shirt.  
  
"Take Alia and place her in a cell. Humble her to obedience. If she argues with you, I will punish her."  
  
A small smile crawled onto her face. "Yes, Lothos. It shall be done."   
  
She quickly stood, wiping the smile from her face. She motioned Thames for assistance and moved Alia to another part of the Project.  
  
Her nightmare was just beginning.  
  
*************  
  
Alia shook her head to bring her back from the memories. She blinked back the fear that she recalled. She gripped Sam's arm tightly. "Sam, you don't want to be involved with this. It's best if you just walk away alive."  
  
Sam held back his feelings of nausea and pity for her. "I can't. There is no way I can turn my back on this. Everything I know and love is in jeopardy. I have to stay with this to the end." He patted her hands. "He's attacking me, personally."  
  
"And when he attacks, Sam, he attacks with everything he has. You can't stand up to him. Believe me, I've tried and failed! All have failed!"  
  
"He's never dealt with something like Ziggy, and Ziggy has me and everyone in the Project. Hey, we win with numbers alone." He stood. "But you, Alia don't need to give anymore. I have what I need; you can continue on here, like you deserve. I just have to make sure you're safe."   
  
Alia stood and looked into his eyes defiantly. "I am capable of taking care of myself."  
  
He looked her in the eyes as he put both hands on her shoulders. "I know you are. I never said you couldn't."   
  
"You assume the role of my savior, one that I don't need. And you still don't understand. He's out for anyone who is against him. And that includes me."  
  
"Only after he gets me, Alia. Only after he gets me. And he won't."  
  
Alia turned her back to him and started to wobble away from him. "How can you be so sure?" Alia asked as she looked to the ground.  
  
Sam answered softly, confidently, like there simply wasn't another answer. "Because I am," he said. 


	8. Fallen Hero Chapter 8

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
Project Quantum Leap  
  
When the Imaging Chamber walls appeared once again, Al knew that the situation was getting worse. He stormed out of the Imaging Chamber with a vengeance. There was no way in hell that damned computer was going to take over this Project and leave Sam defenseless against Thames and Zoey.  
  
"Tina, status!" He commanded.  
  
Tina's hands were definitely busy on, under and around the console, and she didn't even look up as she spoke. "We've got internal meltdown everywhere, Admiral. We're trying to locate the main system that the infiltrator is working from, but there are so many false leads, it's almost impossible. Donna's in Section Four working on leads. We're gonna need a LOT more power!"  
  
Al began to pace as she spoke. When she mentioned the need for power, he turned and saw Sammi Jo entering the room.  
  
Sammy Jo bustled right to the console doing her own little modifications here and there. "Just tap into another power source. Let's see...the biggest around here would be... Las Vegas." She mumbled not necessarily talking to anyone in particular. Her mind was in chaos, and the only thing that she could do to calm it was to talk things through. "Las Vegas. Hoover Dam." She said softly.  
  
"I don't care where you get the power, just get it," Al told them firmly, pacing once again. He turned to both of them. "Take the whole damn state,"   
He ordered.  
  
Sammy Jo looked up at Al in surprise. "That'd do it." She said as she finished her entry code without looking at the screen.  
  
"And if it doesn't, try Los Angeles too," he added. "I'll be damned before we run outta gas..." He almost smiled at the illustration. "Kind of like siphoning gas from your neighbor's car. You want the gas, but you sure as hell don't want the neighbor to find out what you're doing."  
  
Tina had ducked under the console at the last sentence. Her words were muffled. "That's right. We don't want our neighbor here to know what we're doing. Hmmm. We may be able to run most of the lines into one area and trap it; but gee, that's a lot of lines."  
  
Sammi Jo looked down at a screen and typed in her command to execute, and smiled as she listened to the Admiral and Tina. "We may have   
Ziggy back faster than normal," she mumbled.  
  
Tina stood, looking blankly at the Admiral as her mind worked. Her lips moved, silently calculating. "For this to work we need power and we need   
Ziggy. We need her for just a few seconds. If we distract the intruder, she can execute the command."  
  
Sammi Jo glanced at Tina instantly understanding what she meant.   
  
"Oh... yeah..." she said shaking her finger toward Tina knowingly.  
  
Tina grinned, her white teeth flashing. "If we can get the geometric processes of the intruder going in a circle...like Mobius strip or somethin'...that might be enough for Ziggy to get the job done."  
  
Tina crossed the Control room and yanked off yet another panel. She reached in, and began to tweak the wires inside. "I need somethin' sharp... wait!" She yanked off one of her dangly earrings that looked like an ancient TV antenna, and stuck it in the portal. "There!"  
  
"Come on you big bolts of junk. Talk to me." Sammi Jo whispered. Seeing how Tina had tweaked the panel, she hoped that it would work.   
  
"Ziggy? Ziggy, can you hear me?" Sammie Jo turned to the sphere and smiled hoping that they would hear that sexy voice again.   
  
"Yyyeeeessssss?" Ziggy purred her voice resonated through out the project. "What do you need Dr. Fuller?"  
  
When Al heard Ziggy's voice purring through the room, he grinned like the Cheshire cat. "YES!" he exclaimed with a raised clenched fist.  
  
Sammi Jo smiled at the voice.   
  
"Ziggy, we need to know how we can get that tin of metal out of your programming once and for all and we need to know fast before Lothos can get connected again," Al spoke as he started for the Imaging Chamber.   
  
"Disconnect at the source. That is the only way to keep him out."  
  
He stopped and turned to look at the sphere. "You don't mean the source here, do you." He stated, realizing what she really meant. He didn't wait for a reply. He just hoped that Sam would be able to get that information from Alia. "Center me on Sam, Ziggy." He stepped into the center of the Imaging Chamber and waited with baited breath.  
  
The lights dimmed and Ziggy responded.   
  
"We're almost out of time, Admiral." Tina said as she looked at the panel in front of her. "I don't know how long this diversion will last. Hurry!"   
  
"Come on, come on," Al whispered impatiently, knowing that Ziggy was doing the best that she could, given the circumstances.   
  
The entire project went to emergency lighting and power as the Chamber fired up. Tina ripped off her other earring and jammed it in the portal alongside the remains of the first one. The Imaging Chamber slowly came online; the whirling sluggish for a brief moment as it tried to connect.  
  
"Admiral..." Ziggy began. "There."   
  
Suddenly the link connected and he saw Sam and Alia cautiously traveling along a deer path, well concealed by the brush.  
  
"Sam!" Al exclaimed seeing his friend, and grateful that he wasn't hurt. Suddenly, Sam stopped. "Al?" he whispered, turning in a circle. "Al!" where are you?"   
  
Al waved a hand towards him. "Over here."  
  
Sam faced the voice. "I can't see you, but I hear you..." Alia also turned around as Sam called out the hologram's name.  
  
"Damn!" Al complained, knowing it was a moot point. "Sam, we don't have a lot of time. Ziggy says that you have to kill the connection at the source. Somehow, you've got to get to Lothos directly."  
  
Sam reached for Alia's hand and gripped it tight. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to that."  
  
Alia looked at Sam wondering what he is talking about. "What? That it wouldn't come to what?"  
  
"Sam, it's our only shot!" Al exclaimed vehemently. "We're losing the battle here, Sam." He looked around at his surroundings as they began to flicker and slowly vanish inch by inch.  
  
"Don't let them get Ziggy, Al. If it means destroying the whole Project, don't let them get her. I'll do what I can. Al? Did you hear me?"  
  
Al's voice came to him in fragments. "I... ill... o... wha... ca.... jus... ang...Sam...." The voice vanished.  
  
Sam dropped Alia's hand and stepped forward, turning around, searchingly. "Al? I'll find Lothos, Al!"   
  
All Sam heard were birds chirping and wind rustling the brush. He turned to face Alia. "He's gone." Sam's expression was one of disbelief.  
  
Alia looked at Sam and shook her head. "She's probably already gone."  
  
"YES!" Zoey said as she wheeled herself into the touching scene where she had finally found them. She moved the wheelchair in a lazy circle, tossing her head back into the air. "THAMES, DARLING! OVER HERE!" She yelled out happily.  
  
Sam took both of Alia's hands firmly in his. "No. I won't let it happen,   
Alia. You're my only hope."  
  
Alia looked at him not understanding. "Your only hope? What? Hope for what?"  
  
"I've got to stop him at the source. I'm going after Lothos. Tell me exactly where Lothos is."  
  
Zoey glared at the two of them suddenly realizing what Beckett meant. "You won't be able to stop him, my fine specimen. You'll be dead in a matter of minutes."  
  
"You're what?!" Alia shook her head and backed away from him. "You're crazy, Sam."  
  
Thames stated to make his way through the brush quickly following Zoey's voice. He finally came close enough to hear the two talking as well. Raising the rifle, he took careful aim with an evil grin. "Bull's-eye Beckett," he murmured as he fired.  
  
Sam saw a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye, and reacted without thinking. He launched himself at Alia, knocking her flat, and heard the bullet whiz over his head. He rolled her behind a downed tree and took off to circle around to Thames' back.   
  
"How could you have missed? He was ten feet away from you!" Zoey yelled at Thames.  
"Damn!" Thames angrily exclaimed. He leveled the rifle again, searching quickly for his prey through the sights. "Find him, damn it, Zoey!" He ordered her.   
  
Zoey looked at the hand link in her lap and began to point. "He's making a circle around there. He's trying to distract you from Alia."   
  
Thames frowned. "Who give a damn about Alia right now!" He growled with clenched teeth. "We get rid of Beckett, she's an easy target." He raised the rifle again, seeing a sliver of Sam. Firing, he missed again.  
  
It was then that Sam pounced. He landed on top of the man and they tumbled to the ground. The rifle flew off to the side and Sam started punching as hard as he could. They began to roll back and forth, Sam trying to reach his neck. He struggled to his knees.  
  
Thames struggled against him like a wild animal. Sam believed he could rip him to shreds with just his fingers.   
  
Sam pushed him off and managed to get to his feet and aimed a round kick at Thames' head. Thames stumbled back at the kick and fell to the ground. He quickly got back on his feet, a rock in his fist.   
  
Sam spun for another kick, but this time Thames dodged it and followed through to clobber Sam's head with the rock. Sam stumbled, stunned, and tried to fend off the blows with his arms. He was forced down to his knees by the attack.  
  
His attack continued with vengeance, each blow opening a new wound on Sam's forehead and arms. Thames grinned like a hyena Zoey watched with an evil grin, excited with what she was witnessing. Finally, Dr. Samuel Beckett would be no more!  
  
Sam backed against a boulder, weakly trying to fight back, but clearly stunned and unable to find an opening in the wild man's attack. All he could do was protect himself and try to stay on his feet.  
  
Suddenly, two shots echoed through the valley.  
  
Sam felt wetness splash on his face and the blows stopped abruptly. He looked glanced over his arms and saw Thames stiffen, the bloody rock slipping from his fingers and an astonished look on his face. He collapsed forward on top of Sam.  
  
"NO!" Zoey exclaimed as she saw Thames fall. Thames was unable to see his holographic Observer as she snapped out of existence in this time.   
  
There was a moment of silence as Sam felt Thames' last heartbeat against his own chest. A red hue dissipated in front of him, and the undamaged body of one of the hired hands slid down to the ground. Sam saw the innocent man was still breathing and looked up to see Alia, the rifle still leveled, her hair blowing wildly around her face as the wind picked up.   
  
Slowly, Alia fell to her knees, the rifle's barrel falling to the ground but her grip still tight on the weapon.  
  
Sam went to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body.   
  
"Everything will be okay, Alia. Trust me..." He felt the familiar tingling in his extremities and squeezed his eyes shut, brushing her ear lightly as he spoke.   
"Trust me," he whispered again as he leaped.  
  
*****************  
  
Island off of the British Isle  
  
  
The past was gone in a flash of red light. Zoey found herself in mid scream, and was moving the wheelchair even before her surroundings settled into solidity. She moved frantically to the Imaging Disc even though the pain in her upper body was excruciating. She had to know. From across the room she could see that he was down and unmoving.   
  
Wheeling up to him, the frozen, startled look of surprise on his face confirmed her fear. Her shoulders drooped and she lowered her head in shock as her eyes followed the trail of blood draining toward the innermost part of the room.   
  
One single solitary tear slid down her face, but when her head finally rose, her teeth were clenched; the snarl plainly evident as she looked up at the thing that she had once called a lover. "How DARE you just let him die!" She accused through teeth clenched in pure hatred.  
  
"No one man... is more... important... than... the mission." Lothos' voice boomed in a kind of staccato, strained from the energy drainage from Ziggy.  
  
"You don't seem to get it through your thick..." Zoey stopped for a moment thinking about what she was about to say. He wasn't human anymore.  
  
"Skull?" Lothos supplied when she hesitated.  
  
"Circuits." Zoey said vehemently. "You..."   
  
"I... am more... than circuits... my love," he replied. "I could... not prevent ... Thames' death. It is... quite regrettable."  
  
Zoey cringed at his endearing term. She wasn't his love anymore even though her love for Lothoman did still exist in her heart. "Ha! Regrettable is right," she snarled, dashing the emotion. "I can't do both Observing and Leaping. I can't even walk, remember? I can't even..." She stopped and looked up at the person/thing that he had become. "I can hardly breathe properly!" she coughed.  
  
"Zoey," Lothos said as seductively as a biomechanical computer could. "You... are... the most... important one to me... you will succeed... where all others... have failed."  
  
Zoey looked up at the thing that was still imprisoned there. "If I can't   
breathe..." she talked over him, "I will FAIL! I'LL BE DEAD, YOU IDIOT!"   
  
The fear of probable punishment for her outburst was overridden by a choking coughing fit. Lothos waited until the fit subsided and she could hear him over her gasping.  
  
The response was less than friendly. "You think you are in pain now... wait..." There was a long pause. "Dr. Beckett." Lothos said as if a thought had occurred to him, distracting him from his intent to punish.  
  
"What about him?" She whispered with a raw throat. "He doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does."   
  
"Nothing will... unless... he's dead," Lothos corrected. "You will have... a chance again... my love."  
  
"Stop." She said softly, hoping that he couldn't hear her. "Don't call me that anymore."  
  
"You may not... be able to... accept the truth..." He let the sentence fade. "He is coming," he stated firmly.  
  
"Who?" She asked, raising her head at the statement.  
  
"Beckett." The name was spit out with tangible hatred.   
  
Zoey smiled at the thought. "I welcome it." She said vehemently as she wheeled herself toward a compartment carved in the wall. She unlocked the metal door by tapping in a code, and retrieved a handgun stored there. She handled it thoughtfully. "I'll have my revenge... my love..." she said, accenting his term of endearment. "And I'll do it myself this time." 


	9. Fallen Hero Chapter 9

FALLEN HERO  
By AJ Burfield, MJ Cogburn and Katherine Freymuth  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
  
When the tingling blue dissipated, the first sensation Sam felt was cold.   
Damp coldness all around, especially in his nose as he breathed. He blinked, clearing the fog, only to find that he was, in fact, in thinning fog, and began walking up the cracked and weedy path to a reinforced opening of a tunnel in a mountainside.  
  
He had no idea where he was; there was nothing to give him an idea of time or place. No cars, no music... no people. Turning around he saw a dock and a small boat pushing off, and a mainland in the distance. Mainland? Was this an island? He again faced the opening, and then looked down at himself.   
  
He found a picture ID tag hanging from his neck and a white lab coat on his lean frame. His last name was Gabriel, and his first name was Anthony. And there was a 'LEVEL I" stamped on it. Curious, he continued up the path.  
  
Suddenly, he had several flashes of what could only have been a bad dream... A familiar woman... Alia! He thought...a gun... an angry black man coming at him with a pitchfork... and a mixing/melding of faces when he defended him and pushed the man....Thames... away.  
  
Sam was in a cold sweat at this point. He was here for a reason involving those... two... what was it? The memory was right there on the tip of his brain. And before he even thought 'where was Al?' he already knew that he wouldn't be there to help this time.   
  
When he reached the top of the path, there was a small group gathered at a security gate. He joined them, feeling like a fraud. A very scared fraud, and glanced at a security camera. The security gate was waiting to be opened at just a command; cameras aimed at the entrance to record any and all interlopers.  
  
"I guess there was a security problem," one man mumbled. "This gate is never locked."  
  
"I don't care if I ever come back, "a woman replied quietly, then looked around, afraid.  
  
"DID YOU THINK THAT I AM UNAWARE OF YOUR WORDS?" A loud voice demanded viciously from inside the cave. "ENTER IMMEDIATELY AND REMAIN SILENT!"  
  
Suddenly, it was quiet and the crowd cowered as one. Sam tried to fade in, oblivious to any consequences. The guards were thick as the gate slowly opened. The group moved as one through the opening, Sam feeling safe in the center. He looked at some other tags worn by nearby people, and found another Level 1, and tried to look inconspicuous as he followed him.   
Everyone's ID was checked before they were allowed in the cavern.  
  
Again, the voice boomed as Sam entered the cavern, his ID having already been checked. "Gabriel, you are required on Level 1 immediately."  
  
Sam hesitated, then looked up at the speaker. "Uh, yes, sir." Great. Where was that?   
  
Fortunately, when he got inside, the cave sections were clearly labeled and painted. Each level had a color, and his tag was yellow. He headed to the yellow area up and toward the back of the corridor. He passed through three more checkpoints before encountering the entry guards with "Level 1" stamped on their tags. They regarded him carefully as he stepped through the portal to the yellow section.  
  
He walked back to a group of white lab coats crowding behind a tall cabinet. They were trying to keep out of sight from something, or rather, someone. Sam peered around the corner and saw a red-haired woman in a wheelchair next to a black man crumpled on the floor. His heart jumped into his throat as he recalled the man: Thames! That's who he fought with...when?   
  
Then the pieces went together, and Sam was horrified to realize where he was.   
The voice that seemed to come from everywhere must be Lothos!  
  
The aura of the place suddenly struck him. Although Ziggy was also in a cave of sorts, the atmosphere of his Project was cheery and professional, camaraderie high. This cave had a lot of natural light that his Project didn't, but even the sunny brightness failed to bring any cheer to this place. Sam could feel the tension and the stress all the way to his bones. Where PQL was run with eagerness, this place was run by fear. Sam suppressed a shiver from the perceived chill.  
  
The voice that had ordered him this level was speaking in a very low tone to the fiery-haired woman. "Be cautious, Zoey. He is here somewhere."   
  
'Oh, no! I've been detected!' Sam thought, alarmed.  
  
As Sam froze, he realized that he hadn't been singled out yet when the voice commanded, "Step forward!" to the rest of the technicians. He ducked his head and blended in to the sea of white coats as he stepped from behind the cabinet with the crowd, trying to ignore the crew cleaning up the remains of Thames in the background.  
  
"Carpenter. Project status," Lothos ordered firmly.  
  
Carpenter happened to be the woman who had talked out of turn at the gate. She cowered at the console as she read the information. It wasn't good news, and she cringed at being the messenger. "Sir, we know that Dr. Beckett is here with us, but we don't know what level he leaped into."  
  
Sam perked up. He feigned interest in a clipboard and walked up behind her and read the screen himself. The energy spike that had announced his arrival was obvious, but not localized.  
  
"DID I ASK ABOUT DR. BECKETT?"  
  
The voice made it impossible not to jump. Another technician walked up to Sam and passed him some papers acting like nothing was going on. Only the dampness of the papers where his fingers had been gave him away. Carpenter bowed her head and clasped her hands together in front of her.   
  
"No, sir. You... you didn't. F... Forgive me... sir... I'm sorry." Carpenter knees were visibly knocking. "May I try again?"  
  
Sam found it difficult to ignore the poor woman's trial, but everyone else didn't seem to have that problem. This must happen all the time. Sam forced himself to look at the papers containing power consumption charts, relay inspection tables and interface junction performance levels. He could use all this, he realized. Now if he could only find their version of the Accelerator   
Chamber there was a way to mess things up. And where was the central mass? At   
PQL, it was the orb that hung above the console. Was there a similar thing here?   
  
There was a long pause, as if the voice was considering the poor woman's request. "You may try." It was obvious there was doubt Carpenter could succeed by the way the other workers distanced themselves from her.  
  
Sam glanced up and noticed the horrific smile and glowing eyes of the chair-bound woman as poor Carpenter was grilled. Sam let his eyes wander above and beyond her, and was shocked to see another set of eyes behind small window in a door recessed in the cave wall. The eyes were unseeing, and the body appeared to be in a comatose state. Sam was drawn to the eyes, not knowing why, and realized the face was surrounded by inter-twining masses of wire, which gave the head a Medusa-like quality. Sam felt his hands grow cold when he saw the major conduits running from the very portal where that person was. He'd found the central mass, and the idea of it made his sick. Where he'd used a few human brain cells, Lothoman had used and entire human. Sam couldn't help but wonder who the poor victim was.  
  
Carpenter blinked and swallowed as she moved to look at the grid once more. Sam's attention was again drawn to her, and she nervously licked at her lips. "Status on the infiltration, sir, is..." she was hesitant to answer not wanting to be punished. "Is..."  
  
"IS WHAT?!" Lothos demanded.  
  
"Is... Ahm...is" She jumped at his demand. "Is unsuccessful, sir." She finally supplied knowing that this information wasn't what he wanted to hear.   
  
"What did you say?" The voice was low and incredulous, as if Lothos wasn't sure he'd heard the right answer. Then, a low growl filled the room, and Zoey's smile widened as she focused her attention on the woman.  
  
Carpenter's chin quivered as she locked eyes with Zoey, but she stood up straight, already accepting whatever the punishment would be not going to have someone say she wasn't brave. She closed her eyes in resignation.  
  
Sam felt the hair on his body rise as an overdose of static electricity built in the air. He heard a grotesque laugh from the woman in the chair, and his eyes were locked on the eyes in the portal when lightning struck from somewhere. Sam dropped to the floor as Carpenter's body flew back and slammed into the wall behind her.  
  
"That is incorrect." Lothos said calmly.  
  
Carpenter's chest was a smoking, black hole. It became quite evident when a trickle of clear fluid began to flow down from her ear that the electricity had been sent not only to her chest, but also through her to a specific area in her body - her brain.  
  
Stunned, he stared at the down at the smoking woman, black, crispy burns making up her torso as another clean up team appeared from nowhere and prepared her for removal. The brutal murder was secondary in his mind when he realized that the lightning had come from the portal.   
  
Then it hit him, and he realized in an instant who it was behind the protective door: Lothoman himself.   
  
Alia's story came back to him in a flood, and he was glad he was on the floor. He wasn't sure his knees could have held him. This monster had to be stopped.  
  
***********  
  
"Are you...the only one..who...will not fail... me, Zoey?" The mechanical voice almost sighed.  
  
Zoey twisted her head to look up at the portal that contained the bioparts of Lothos. "I will succeed or kill myself for you," she murmured actually surprised at the depravity of her devotion to the one she knew as Nathaniel Lothoman. She also knew that he was gone forever, and that nothing mattered anymore -- nothing except killing that arrogant, bold, all loving Dr. Beckett, the cause of all her losses.  
  
Observing the clean up going on before her, Zoey laughed lightly. "Love," she said softly. "Now, we need a new assistant. Or shall I say contestant?"  
  
A sickening mechanical chuckle emanated from all around. It was a chilling sound that caused the workers to hunch their shoulders in an effort to grow smaller. "Yes. But first.....find.... Beckett."  
  
"I know he is here," Zoey said firmly. "I can sense him just as you can." She studied each face in the area, her hand lazily fondling the gun in her lap. "I will find him, Lothos." She said softly, squinting at one technician in particular.  
  
The man called Gabriel was just rising to his feet as Carpenter's body was carted off like so much trash. He looked rather dazed, and was studying the wiring around the portal with interest. His eyes dropped immediately when he saw her studying him and returned his attention to his clipboard. He had just flagged another technician over to look at the board when Zoey called to him.   
  
"Gabriel," she spoke sharply.  
  
He looked up quickly. "Yes?" he replied carefully, his tone casual.  
  
"Gabriel," Lothos addressed him sternly.   
  
Zoey eyed Sam suspiciously, one eyebrow arching up, and glanced at the portal as Lothos spoke.  
  
Sam-in-Gabriel looked up at the ceiling, his eyes widening. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"You... will give her.... the respect....she is due." His voice was intensely threatening. "Or... shall I give you... a reminder?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Ah, no, sir. A reminder is not necessary, sir."   
  
"Now, Gabriel..." Zoey addressed him again.  
  
He faced her again, his expression grim. "Yes, ma'am?" He dropped his head and shoulders in a submissive manner.   
  
"What exactly are you reading that is so interesting to you?" She asked softly wheeling her chair toward him. She'd never seen him so curious before.  
  
"It's the... er, some performance charts. I was wondering if the levels would ah... indicate the interloper: the one Carpenter saw on the monitor. If the interloper was moving around, I was trying to figure out a way, using the existing power cables, to rig up a tracking device. I'm not sure how to do that quite yet. I... I was just trying to come up with a possibility..."  
  
Zoey interrupted him. "So... you were actually using that precious little thing that God gave you... your brain?" She asked sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Just trying to help. Ma'am." Sam kept his arms by his side, appearing innocent and somewhat relaxed. Could she see me in Gabriel's eyes? He thought. He could see she was suspicious. "Well, ma'am, like I said, it was an idea, but I'm not sure how to implement it, or if it's possible. I'd have to do some measuring of the ambient power levels in the different parts of the cavern to see if there's even a sufficient field to be interacted with and tracked..."  
  
Zoey nodded looking at him warily. Something wasn't setting right with this. Gabriel possibly could have a brain, but she had never seen it being used unbidden. Why would he start now? She asked herself. "What do you think about his idea, my dear?" she said out loud to Lothos, but continued to study   
Gabriel. "Shall we let him try his little idea?"  
  
There was a silence from Lothos for a moment as he considered the theory. "I am... wary.. of anyone making any. ....adjustments ...to my system." Another long moment passed. "Allow it.... But..watch him carefully."  
  
Gabriel's eyes glanced in the portal's directionn. "Thank you, sir. I'll do my best."   
  
"Do not..... thank me, Gabriel," Lothos told him firmly. "If you....make.... one mistake, you're....doomed."   
  
"Yes sir." The technician glanced at the black spot where Carpenter had collapsed. "I understand."  
  
Zoey warily looked him over once more. Something still felt very wrong about this. She traced the gun with her fingertips as she looked from Gabriel to Lothos. "Where do you want him to start first, my pet?" She asked lovingly, using the endearment for show for the others around. She didn't want   
Lothos to know about her revulsion to what once was her lover, because she didn't want to face the consequences.  
  
"Let him... decide." The tone made it clear that he was giving the technician enough rope to either save or hang himself. Quietly, and only for Zoey, he whispered, "I... do not... trust ..him. Watch him...my dear."  
  
In the same hushed voice she soothed, "I'll take care of it. You trust me, don't you?"  
  
"How.....can I not?" Lothos' voice responded silkily. "I...love you."  
  
In another time, those words would have meant everything to her. Now, it was a time nearly forgotten. She sighed sadly, resigned to her fate. "Same here, love."  
  
The interplay between Zoey and the cyber-man made Sam queasy. He didn't hear most of it, but could tell the content by her face. He knew he was being scrutinized, and his life depended on appearing completely non-threatening.  
  
Sam tucked the board under his arm and opened a tool chest near him.   
He picked out a hand held meter for measuring the atmosphere, another meter for checking wire bundles, and managed to slip in a pair of wire cutters to his coat pocket. With a calming breath, he stepped up to Zoey.  
  
"Where will you check first?" She questioned, her eyes locked on him.  
  
"It would be best to start at the main entrance and work my way in," Sam replied, turning to go.  
  
Zoey cocked her head to the side. "Stop. Since the intruder is already in the complex," she said slowly, "wouldn't it be beest to have the most preciousguarded first?"  
  
"I need to record a base line, ma'am. It's like drawing a spider's web. I can tell by the warping of the 'web', where the initial impulse went. Like a dent in fabric."   
  
Another whisper from the ceiling drifted towards Zoey. "He is speaking ....nonsense."  
  
"Or, I can start here," Sam interjected quickly, sensing the suspicion. "It doesn't really matter."  
  
Without taking her eyes from him, Zoey picked up the weapon leveled it at his chest. "You protect the one that you serve first," she stated, eyes glimmering.  
  
He looked down the barrel of the gun and nodded tightly. "Yes ma'am. Protect the one you serve first."  
  
Zoey laid the gun back down on her lap and watched him go to work. She was determined to protect Lothos; it was all she had left. He was her last chance for a normal life. Someone could still leap back and keep Calavicci from shooting her, and maybe Thames would still be alive.  
  
She soon tired of Gabriel's mundane activity. She couldn't really blame him for being so cautious, checking every wire around the portal, but she knew the amount of wiring there and steeled herself for a boring time. Physically, she felt exhausted, and part of her welcomed the break. Her weakened body couldn't take the activity of her former lifestyle, and even now she required many rest breaks. She hadn't had one for a while now, and her body was growing fatigued. She could tell by the difficulty she was having concentrating. Her mind began to wander.   
  
Meanwhile, Sam himself was having difficulty keeping the mundane repetition going. He saw Zoey's scrutiny falter, and took a chance. He slipped the clippers from his pocket and snipped a few colored wires here and there, and put it in his routine. Read meter, record numbers, snip. Read meter, record numbers, snip. He checked the clipboard to confirm his proximity to the main power bundles, and continued on.   
  
Zoey tried to pull herself back into awareness. "Are we winning, Lothos?" She crooned, shifting the gun in her lap. The delay in his response broke her dreamy spell. "Lothos?" she queried sharply, grasping the gun tightly.  
  
"Losing ... power!" Lothos hissed. "It's Beckett! Kill...him!"  
  
"STOP!" She screamed as loud as she could, fumbling for the gun, and raising it with weary shoulders towards Sam.   
  
Sam acted instantly, flipping the clipboard towards her face. When she jerked aside, Sam moved his feet. The kick was aimed at the gun, but Zoey's being in a wheel chair made the kick a bit higher than it should have been. He caught her hand with his heel as he spun; Zoey let out a grunt at the contact, and her hand cracked into the chair's arm. Sam realized he hadn't made full contact, and followed through the spin by reaching out and grabbing her wrist. He forced her sideways in the chair, spinning the device in a tight circle as they grappled for the gun.   
  
Even the loud report of the gun going off didn't break their grip, and Zoey emitted an animal growl as she continued to pull the trigger and fight. Sam was amazed at her strength, and lost count of the shots. He wasn't sure if the ringing he heard was from damaged eardrums or damaged equipment in the room. At this point, he was thinking of survival only.   
  
Zoey continued to fight for the gun. Sam could hear her winded wheezing, but she was still able to make Sam see stars when she butted his cheek with her head. Sam continued to twist the woman's deceptively strong grip, feeling each blow to his face, then simply yanked her from the chair.   
  
Zoey's lower body was limp, but her grasp on the gun and Sam's arm was impressively strong. He could hear her struggling to get her breath, and knew she was functioning on pure adrenaline. The chair flew out from under her, and Sam heard a collision then smelled something electrical burning.   
  
"ZOEY!" It was an inhuman, mechanical voice, wrought with static and pain echoing off the walls. There was another noisee, too, that took Sam several seconds to identify, as his ears were still ringing from the shots; it was the thundering sound of retreating feet. The other technicians had grabbed the opportunity to flee from the cave and the raging, possessed woman. Security had joined the retreat.   
  
Sam went down from the weight and struggle, and rolled the furious woman under him. He repeatedly smashed her hands on the floor until the gun flew from her grip and skittered across the room. Sam left her writhing on the floor and fell on the portal. He had to act before lighting struck.  
  
Lothos' scream was high-pitched and tinny. "ZOEY!"  
  
Feeling around the edges of the portal door, Sam found the source keeping the airlock engaged, and yanked it from the wall. The sound of escaping air hissed by his ear and the door loosened in its jamb. He pulled the clippers from his pocket and pried at the crack. He could hear the sound of the seals popping as the door grudgingly cracked opened.  
  
"NO!" Lothos and Zoey screamed in unison.  
  
Sam felt the hair on his body raising as electricity started to build up in the air and knew he was running out of time. The door popped out a few inches and he grabbed the edge and pulled. It opened slowly, reluctantly, not used to the motion. The air inside was sour.  
  
Zoey had dragged herself across the floor to get to him, but the struggle for a full breath made her woozy. She watched helplessly from where she lay on the floor, hoping to kill Beckett with a look.  
  
"You ..will die.. with me!" Lothos' voice was weak with static, but Sam could still feel the energy building.   
  
Once in the cramped portal, Sam scanned the wires around the emaciated seated form. The eyes, which had appeared unseeing, now had a slight glow and Sam was sure he was being observed. The face surrounding the eyes could hardly be called human. Sam could see the wires just under the skin of the skull, and it made his skin crawl. Recalling human anatomy, he gripped the bundles that appeared to lead to the most active parts of the brain, and pulled. They were stuck fast, skin adhering to the cables. He braced his feet and pulled again, starting trickles of blood. The room was hot with building energy, and Sam knew time was gone. He gritted his teeth and pulled hard, and two bunches of cables pulled free with a sucking sound. Blood spattered the portal walls  
  
"NO!" The scream was more like a deafening feedback squeal, and Sam automatically clamped his bloody hands over his ears.  
  
"LOTHOS!" Zoey gravely plea was barely heard above the inhuman shrieking.  
  
Blindly, Sam reached and pulled, desperate to stop the painful noise. Four cables later, the noise began to dwindle. Sam's hands were sticky with blood. He felt around the atrophied human form looking for more cables, pulling them as he went. There was no resistance. When he thought he had the last one, he leaned back and looked Lothos in the eyes defiantly.  
  
Sam didn't feel anger. He didn't feel hate. All he felt was pity, and he was sure it was clear in his eyes. There wasn't anything he could do for him; there was nothing human left to work with. He wondered if his Project was safe now.  
  
The gleam in the eyes faded, and turned milky. Fixed and dilated, they stared at nothing, and the body slipped into a pile of disjointed limbs with his last hissing breath.  
  
Sickened at the sight, Sam stepped from the portal and gulped in great breaths of fresh air as he wiped his sticky hands on his pants. He watched as Zoey slowly removed her hands from her ears and forced herself to look at the open portal behind him.   
  
The cords that were once connected to Lothos were now dangling, dripping with dark blood. The once commanding form of Nathaniel Lothoman was now a shriveled, shrunken pile in the chair.  
  
"No." She growled, knowing her love was gone forever.   
  
'I'm not of the woods yet... I can't leave her here. She can't take care of herself. And I doubt that any of the former employees would be willing to help. Now what?' Sam thought as he watched her.  
  
Zoey dropped her face into the crook of her arm, and was quiet for a moment. "Please, help me," she said weakly.   
  
The plea for help caused the hair to rise on the back of his neck. Alarms were going off in his head and the first thing he thought was, 'Al will kill me, but   
I can't just leave here there.' Cautiously, he stepped towards her very aware of the sticky blood on him was from her lover.  
  
"I've been trapped here for so long. I'm finally free of him!" Zoey whimpered as she looked up into his eyes.  
  
Almost as if he were in the room, Al's voice seemed to go through Sam's head. 'She's evil! Don't believe her!'  
  
'Al always called me a Boy Scout,' he thought, 'and he had a right to.' Against every little voice screaming in his head, Sam approached her. After all, he hadn't leaped yet; there had to be something else to do, and she was the only possible candidate.  
  
A coughing fit overtook Zoey, causing her to double up in pain. Sam knelt next to her, but not too close, and saw that her lips were slightly blue. He went to the chair and had a time untangling it from the wires that left scorch marks on the metal frame. As he gently separated the chair from the mass, he saw the bullet holes in the wall panels that had been the beginning of the end for Lothos. As he pushed the chair over to her, Sam tried to note any other main relays he should put out of commission.  
  
Sam parked the chair next to her and locked the wheels. Then he walked around to the other side and kicked something that slid away. The gun! He felt around for it with his toe, retrieved it, and placed it safely in his pocket. He pulled the woman into the chair. Sitting up helped her breathing, and her color returned slowly.   
  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
  
Shocked at the thanks, Sam went even more on guard. This woman has a knack for doing that to him. Carefully, he leaned down and unlocked the wheels. He could hear her wheezing and felt her trembling arms. He was trying to decide if the trembling was from shock or anger when the sound of the Imaging Chamber door greeted his ears.  
  
Al frantically rushed in. "Sam! Sam, are you okay?" Al looked around quickly, noting the chaos. He squinted at what remained of Nathaniel Lothoman and gasped. "Ew! I hope that's the nozzle that was attacking Ziggy!"   
  
"Hey, Al!" Sam greeted, panting as he stood up from the chair wheels.   
  
"Boy, am I glad to see you! How is Ziggy? Is she functional now?"  
  
The hologram's eyes widen in shock as he turns to his friend and takes in his actions. "Sam, what the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Well, I couldn't just leave her there on the floor!"  
  
"Why the hell not?! That bitch tried to kill you! Not to mention my own daughter! Or did you forget that?" Al noticed the stains on Sam's shirt, and figured that the blood wasn't his. He wondered what had gone on here.  
  
Zoey looked at Sam in a daze and realized he was talking to his hologram, the very same hologram that had put her in this chair. She placed her trembling hands in her lap and dropped her eyes, not wanting to give away the hate she felt for both of them. Sam was bringing Al up to date on his actions, both of them momentarily distracted and unconcerned about the disabled woman.   
  
She slipped her hand to the edge of the seat cushion, and felt in the crevasse for the knife she always kept there. Being disabled didn't mean she was helpless; any worker here could have told the unsuspecting men.   
  
"Dr. Beckett?" she beckoned quietly, her head tilted in a coy manner.  
  
Sam broke off his conversation and turned his attention to her. "Are you all right?" he asked, starting to crouch down next to her.  
  
Al's eyes locked on to her, suspicious. He saw the movement of her hand. "SAM! LOOK OUT!"  
  
Zoey pulled out the knife in a jabbing motion, and it caught his shirt, ripping open the side. It was a clean miss.   
  
"NO!" She shrieked, blindly stabbing at him. She knew she didn't have much left. The hope of killing Beckett in front of his best friend was fading as quickly as her strength.  
  
Instinctively, Al reached for the knife to get it out of her hands, but his image passed frustratingly through her.  
  
Sam slammed his hand down in a blocking motion and kept the knife from drawing blood. His next grab was for her hand. She moved fast, faster than he thought possible, and she managed a few shallow cuts on his forearms before he had both of her wrists firmly in his grip. He was amazed at her strength. He bent her wrist into a painful position that loosened her grip, and the knife clattered to the floor.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" He breathed.  
  
Al exhaled with relief seeing Zoey was now unarmed. "Because she's evil, Sam," he told him firmly.  
  
"Can't you see that you're free now?" Sam insisted.  
  
"She doesn't give a damn about that!" Al exclaimed.   
  
Zoey looked up into Sam's face. "I'll only be free when you're dead," she wheezed.  
  
Al glared at her. "Then you're going to be a prisoner for the rest of your life, you bitch, because I am NOT going to let you hurt him." The words were spoken with conviction. Sam knew Al would follow through with them, even if it meant his own life.  
  
Sam released her hands and stepped back. The chair wheels were still locked; her arms were lying limp in her lap. She wasn't going anywhere.   
  
"I don't see the point in this," Sam reasoned. "There's nothing left to fight for. You have a chance to change your life. You can't throw it away!"  
  
There was a short silence, then Al said, "You can't save her, Sam."  
  
"Then why haven't I leaped, Al? Is Ziggy fixed or what?"  
  
Al pulled out the hand link, and tapped the keys. "Uh... yeah. Ziggy's pretty much back to normal, or at least as normal as she can be given the circumstances. As for why you're still here...." He shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
"Well, then, if Ziggy's fixed and everything's OK, and I haven't leaped, she must be the reason for me being here!" He insisted, pointed at the chair bound woman.  
  
Al looked at him sadly. "She doesn't want to be saved."   
  
"Well, maybe I'm here to change that."  
  
"I really doubt that, Sam." Al couldn't believe it but he almost felt pity for the witch. Almost.  
  
Zoey pushed the lever that ran the chair and tried to move, but the wheels were locked and the motor hummed uselessly. Zoey continued to hit the button, making the chair jerk each time. "Nathaniel." She said in a defeated whisper. She continued to hit the button, trying to will the chair to move.  
  
At the sound of her voice Al and Sam turned to her in unison. "Let her go, Sam. It's time to leap," Al said quietly.  
  
Sam saw what she was trying to do. Her eyes were locked on the portal. He moved behind her and unlocked the wheels. Zoey moved away before he could push her, so he stood and watched her wheel to the form of her dead lover.   
  
Al took a few steps towards her, wondering what she was up to, worried that she might have something else up her sleeve. She did, but he didn't know what exactly it was. When she got as close as she could to the lifeless form, he saw her take out two metal objects from her pocket, and pop one in her mouth. The other she fit into a receptacle in the portal chair.  
  
"Sam," Al warned. "She's up to something!"  
  
Zoey turned and looked blindly into Al's eyes. She grinned a wolfish grin, and Al swore she could see him. "Perhaps another day, Tonto," she sneered. She twisted a ring on her finger around so the circular design was in her palm.   
  
"Hey!" Sam yelled, starting to make his way to her.  
  
The moment Sam moved, Al raised his hand to indicate that he should stop. Seeing what she was planning, he turned his head from the sight, and look directly at Sam. "Turn around, Sam!" he barked. "Go back!"   
  
Zoey saw Sam hesitate. "One last handshakke, Dr. Beckett?" she crooned crazily, as she placed her palm over the chair's arm, fitting the ring key into the chair's matching receptacle. With the other hand, she reached for Sam in a lady like fashion. The hate was now clear in her burning eyes.  
  
"Sam, now!" Al pleaded, waving his arms and bouncing up and down. "You don't want to see this!"  
  
Sam knew better than to touch her, but he got down on his knees as close to her as he dared. Her extended fingertips were just beyond his nose, one lunge away.   
  
"Don't!" Al begged his friend.  
  
Zoey regarded Sam, playing the emotions to the end.   
  
"Stop this, Zoey. You don't have to do this. There's so much more out there!" Sam tried to reason.   
  
Zoey saw the instinct in his eyes to try and stop her, and she grinned at him. Her hand wavered in front of Sam's face.  
  
"Not for her, there isn't," Al said snapped.  
  
Al's paranoia had managed to imbed itself into his brain, and Sam realized that she was waiting for him to touch her, to kill both of them. 'Could anyone be that soulless?' he thought, astounded.  
  
For a moment, her eyes flickered. For a moment, Sam thought he saw her accept the reality of her life, that she was responsible for her actions every step of the way. And for a second, he was sure he saw the idea of redemption cross her mind. But as her hand dropped to her lap, he saw the hopelessness that replaced the fear.   
  
"Unless you want to die Dr. Beckett, you'd best get away from me."  
  
Al was shocked. She was letting him go! She was actually letting him go! "Do it,   
Sam!" he insisted. "Walk away now and don't look back!"   
  
The coldness of Zoey's voice made Sam back off, incredulous.  
  
"This is the only way I'll be free," she said, indicating her palm hovering over the plug with a nod of her head, a crooked grin on her lips. "Ah, the good   
Dr. Beckett. Always getting his wish." She turned away from him with a throaty chuckle, and slammed her palm on the receptacle.   
  
Her body became rigid from an electrical punch, and smoke started coming from her ears. Sam jumped back and turned away, smelling the burnt flesh and hearing the crackle of an electrical overload. He stumbled from the portal, then from the room, sickened.  
  
Al joined up with him as he strode from the cave.  
  
Sam was shaken. "Some people cannot be saved, I guess," he said simply.   
  
Al exhaled slowly, just wanting this leap to finally be over. He walked by   
Sam's side, not looking at him. If there was one thing he would never be used to, although people would expect it from his experiences, it was seeing someone die. He'd watched Zoey until he was sure she was dead, and was surprised that all he felt was pity. "It's over now."  
  
"I'm glad," Sam said tiredly as he felt the familiar tingling in his limbs.   
  
*************  
  
The leap was instantaneous. Sam didn't recall any floating, any fading in of details, or any blue haze. It was amazingly quiet and peaceful. A warm breeze tickled his cheek and he heard trees rustling softly overhead. Birds sang cheerily, and Sam knew instantly that it was springtime. The smell of freshly mown grass made him look down, and he saw that his feet were in brown work boots sunk in a luxuriously thick lawn.   
  
Glancing to his hand he saw he held a rake. Cautiously, he looked around and admired the well-trimmed landscape of a park. A very peaceful park and he realized that he was the gardener. Relaxing, he tilted his face to the sun and closed his eyes with a smile. Behind him he could hear the distant laughter of children playing.  
  
Then he heard murmuring. He opened his eyes and looked around recognizing the sound of someone's muted talking. Following the sound, rake in hand, he rounded a tall hedge and saw a white park bench under a beautiful, full tree which overlooking the grassy, rolling hills of the park. The scenic beauty was lost on the two men whose backs were to him as their heads were bent together deep in conversation. The taller man's hands were animated excitedly as he spoke.  
  
Sam frowned. A very strong feeling of deja vu washed over him as he watched the men. Just then, the sound of the Imaging Chamber door distracted him.  
  
"I've been here," Sam said softly out loud, knowing Al would hear him.   
He couldn't take his eyes off the men on the bench.  
  
"I know." Al replied just as softly.  
  
There was a sinking feeling as Sam felt the last of the peacefulness drain away. His head began to spin, and the whole scene became surreal. "That's me," he said matter-of-factly, nodding towards the taller man.  
  
"Yeah. I know." Al replied.  
  
Then the memory came back. "And that's Gooshie!" Sam whispered, unable to move. Why didn't he see that before? No one had hair like Gooshie.  
  
Sam heard Al shift uncomfortably. "Sam," Al said after a moment. "We need to talk."   
  
And Al told him of the events at the Project and the loss of the brilliant programmer. He told the story softy, in an even, unbroken voice, clear in every detail. He'd already said his good byes, he said, and it was time for Sam to do the same.  
  
Sam's vision was blurry from tears as he watched himself pull out the familiar string from his shirt pocket. The wild-haired programmer was rapt attention as Sam saw himself talking and tying the string's ends together. Then he crumpled the string in his fist, and Gooshie's eyes lit up as he took over the conversation. Sam saw himself lean slightly back from the halitosis Gooshie was known for.  
  
"Good bye, Gooshie," Sam whispered, raising his hand is a small gesture of farewell. "I'm so sorry." He couldn't hold back the feelings of guilt that washed over him at that moment.   
  
As he felt the blue fog engulf him, his last sight was of a laughing   
Gooshie and a smiling Sam shaking hands forever sealing a successful partnership.  
  
Then he leaped.  
  
THE END 


End file.
